Alongside the Murderer
by Alone in a Blizzard
Summary: Sakura is captured while rescuing Naruto from Akatsuki's grasp. As thus, she promises not to simply escape Akatsuki, but to kick all of their ass and walk out the front door instead. However, certain complications arise. ItaxSaku...eventually.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

What is anguish? How do you describe fear? When does anger dissipate and turn to hate? How long does it take to become filled with such loathsome emotions? Where is the line between honor and stupidity? And why does it always seem that nothing but a void, where feelings should be, is left?

Welcome to the life Itachi Uchiha, welcome to the mind of a murderer…

Itachi Uchiha is a s-ranked criminal, member of the most notorious group of ninja the Akatsuki in addition to being one of the most feared men in the world. A reputation that he was quite proud, though it only took a minimal effort on his part to achieve. He lived for no one but himself, he answered to no one but himself, and lived his life without worry, fear or regret.

His scarlet eyes were gazing outside, looking into the unknown as he allowed his mind to slowly wander to times that were long past…

"_Like this mommy?' the boy yelled back as he lunged forward, his arms crossed over his chest while holding twelve, six in each hand, kunai expertly._

_The boy was full of vigor and energy. Eager to please and a hardworker, he focused his chakra in his feet and ran up a tree. After reaching a branch sixty or so feet off the ground he pushed against the tree and began falling back to the earth with incredible speed. He was in complete control as he began releasing the kunai from his hands using different amounts of speed, angles and spin. After his hands were emptied he did a back flip and landed lightly on his feet, allowing his knees to bend and absorb the shock. _

_As he straightened up, he surveyed his handiwork, all eleven targets had been hit perfectly in the center and each kunai was embedded well into the wood._

"_Who would have thought that such a small child could possess such skill," she mumbled as she scrutinized his actions and went to look at the small target around the tree._

_Itachi had come up with this course all on his own, and it was extremely advanced for a four-year-old child._

'_No,' she amended mentally. 'It is advanced for any shinobi.'_

_It took two kunai to hit the one target before her, and that's not counting the precision it took for the move to work. She had even gone through the course herself when Itachi wasn't around, and although she hit the target, her knife didn't go in as deep, nor was it as accurate._

"_Hai my Itachi. Well done, the Uchiha blood runs strongly in your veins. Your father will be quite proud when he sees your progress."_

_Itachi's younger self beamed at the praise just as any other four-year-old would._

_He swiftly maneuvered over to the each of the eleven targets and with ease pulled each kunai out in a simple gracefully motions, like he was pulling a pencil out of a cup. His graceful motions showed no trace of a struggle in removing the knives from being buried so deep into the wood. He slipped the knives into the pouch at his side and he stood expectantly in front of his mother within seconds._

_A small look of surprise due to Itachi's speed crossed her face as she looked down at him. 'How did he move so fast? He's too young to possess that speed and strength, isn't he?' she thought._

'_Hmm…I can say he is small, yet he is only four and actually, he is in better shape and more skilled than most of our clan. That is quite a feat, and on top of that he has such deadly accuracy coupled with such intense strength. He is the prodigy of the Uchiha clan, but I simply can't believe that he is so advanced. He has mastered at the tender age of four, what his father only begun to learn and practice at eleven. It must have something to do with my amazing coaching capabilities.' She thought arrogantly._

"_Are you okay mom?" Itachi looked up at her and became concerned as she seemingly spaced out. A simple look, which Itachi thought looked rather smug, crossed her face, but he refused to believe that his mother would become conceded. That was beneath the Uchiha clan, so he decided to dismiss the thought as a lack on his part to understand and read the thoughts and emotions of others._

'_Hn, if I am not good at reading other's thoughts and gauging their actions, then I'll be caught off guard. Dad said that to be caught off guard was the same as being weak, and weak people die. I don't want to die, that would hurt and be scary so I'll have to become strong.' His young mind concluded._

"_Come Itachi, I'm curious if you can perform a certain jutsu. If you can't, its okay, honestly, I don't expect you to have enough chakra, but still, I wonder…"_

_Itachi looked at her eagerly. He was so excited, he couldn't wait to prove her wrong. Little did his mother know how many hours he had devoted to training at night, all alone in the woods under the cover of darkness._

"Itachi, lets go." Kisame's voice sounded, bringing Itachi back to the present.

"Hn." Itachi lazily replied.

He slowly stood up and took one last look out the window.

'It's a full moon tonight…perfect for an easy assassination.'

He turned his back to the window and walked toward the door. His ebony coat flittered about and softly followed his graceful movements. The contrasting red clouds stood out, yet matched his scarlet eyes and raven locks perfectly.

'_What a pain in the ass. Why do my parents pester me so much? Don't they have their own damn life? They need to stop telling me what to do with my own life. It's becoming tiresome. On second thought, this entire so-called clan has become rather annoying. They have all become such arrogant bastards, thinking they are better then everyone. They have become overconfident and lax in their training and abilities, trusting so much that their precious Sharingan will overcome any adversary. I hope they all get their ass kicked one day, and if someone doesn't come around soon to do the deed I'm afraid I will have to take care of it myself. I still can't belie...'_

"_Happy Birthday nii-san!"_

_The two brothers stood looking at each other, one with pure joy and the other with annoyance. Outside of the obvious difference in disposition, the smaller of the two was practically a cookie cut out. Their dark locks, black eyes, and slender, yet sturdy build and even their fair skin. _

"_Arigato Sasuke. Now go." Itachi mentioned emotionlessly._

_The smaller boy looked slightly disheartened, but his older brother's attitude didn't seem to effect him too much._

"_Itachi-san..." Sasuke mumbled as Itachi began walking away._

_Itachi stopped and released a quiet sigh. _

"_Hai Sasuke."_

"_Where are you going nii-san?"_

"_Training." He answered vaguely._

_Sasuke's face lit up, "Can I come? Please, Itachi, I promise not to get in the way. I want to train too."_

"_No, go home." Itachi said flatly. 'Why is he so annoying?'_

"_But Itachi, you're the strongest, please help me train."_

"_No." Itachi replied harshly._

"_Why not?" Sasuke began pouting._

"_No, go ask mom or dad. I don't have time. Go home." Itachi stated with a slight edge showing his annoyance. 'Yes, ask mom or dad, maybe then they will quit bothering me and start attending to you. I wonder how much trouble I would get into for kicking him around a little. Mom and dad would have a cow,' he smirked inwardly, being careful not to let his outward façade fall. _

'_But Sasuke is so weak, it really wouldn't be worth it. Why isn't he as strong as I was? Perhaps it has something to do with mom and dad. They were always helping me when I was younger, little Sasuke doesn't get that because out parents are always bothering me instead. But he still lacks the dedication I had, I trained on my own, Sasuke doesn't work half as hard as I did.'_

"_But..." Sasuke was cut off by a harsh glare given to him compliments of his nii-san. The smaller boy took two steps back hesitantly, then turned and ran. Itachi watched his weak little brother run like a coward towards their home. _

'_What's his problem?' Itachi wondered annoyed. But he didn't need to think too hard. 'Shit. How could I have been so careless.'_

_His pointless anger had unconsciously activated his Sharingan. He blinked once and the deep red disappeared into a dark onyx. He once again turned to glimpse his brother's retreating form, then continued on his way to the river to meet up with other ANBU._

_Sasuke didn't think he could outrun his brother, but at the moment, it was the only thing he could think to do._

'_He is scary. I-I thought he was-was going to k-kill me. Why nii-san? Do-do you really hate me?'_

_He ran past his house and into the woods, towards his usual training area, where Itachi trained so long ago. Once he was in the small clearing he fell to his knees gasping for air._

'_I love Itachi, and he loves me. I love Itachi, and he loves me. I love Itachi, and he loves me.' Sasuke chanted like a mantra trying to convince himself of his brother's care for him. 'He would never hurt me. He will always protect me. He will protect me. I just know it. I was annoying him, it was all my fault. He told me no, but I kept insisting. I shouldn't have continued to bother him. I hope he will forgive me. He looked so mad, he was staring-no, he was glaring at me with his Sharingan. I really hope he'll forgive me. I know he will always protect me, he's Itachi, the strongest ninja ever, and he's my brother. I love Itachi, and he loves me.'_

_Sasuke stood up slowly and looked around at the eleven targets around him. They were all at different heights and angles, and he had yet to master hitting all of them with the precision that Itachi had at his age._

_Actually, Sasuke could hit ten of the eleven targets perfectly, but the last one was tucked behind a tree and required the use of two kunai to hit it. _

'_Just like Itachi's old course.' _

_Sasuke remembered asking Itachi once how to hit the final target. All Sasuke could really remember was that the first kunai needed to be aimed at the tree's side with a large amount of force behind it. Then the second required more power and was to be thrown about three-quarters of a second later, about an inch to the left of the previous shuriken and needed to be nearly level when it hit the first kunai. Itachi had mentioned many other things, but they meant nothing to Sasuke when his brother explained about the different angles._

_Sasuke practically gawked at his brother for mentioning the "trick" so off-handedly, making the hidden target sound so easy and simple. Itachi even demonstrated it for Sasuke, but despite his brother's efforts all that time ago, Sasuke couldn't master it. Itachi just made it look so easy, that Sasuke often became disheartened and jealous of his brother's obvious talent._

The large man watched his partner's back as they sped through the woods. He stood well over six feet, towering over most everybody he's ever met. His muscles were well toned, causing his presence to be overbearing and intimidating. However, it was the actual tint of his skin that usually turned women off and struck fear in men. It was a light bluish gray, like the color of sharks, and just as tough. Kisame knew that the smaller man in front of him was probably one of the few humans alive that could actually compare to him.

'However,' Kisame amended himself, 'I can hardly call Itachi human. In a sense he is, but I don't see how any person could possibly possess the sheer strength and speed that Itachi seemingly came upon without doing anything. Even in his attitude, Itachi has never lost his temper, but holds a silent air about him which demands everyone's respect. Including my own, Itachi is, simply put, a natural genius.'

That brought Kisame to wondering if Itachi had ever actually had to practice-really practice-anything in his life.

"Itachi."

"Hn." Itachi replied nonchalantly.

Kisame noticed that Itachi's speed had picked up, so he quickly adjusted his own speed to match his partner's pace.

"Do you know anything about our target?" Kisame asked gruffly.

"Hai. Name Kudan Hizaru, age 24, currently in the village hidden in the Mist."

Both men continued moving…there was nothing left to say.

'I doubt that Itachi would talk anyway though.' Kisame concluded. 'But I wonder what this Kudan person did to earn the wrath of the Akatsuki…'

OoO

'I hope this mission doesn't take too long. I want to get back to Konoha as soon as possible.'

Her pink hair floated behind her as she easily ran through the woods. Each step propelled her to another branch which were usually twelve to fifteen feet apart. Despite the distance, Sakura stepped surly and moved with a simple fluid motion, mocking the distance with ease that few ninjas possessed.

She no longer was the same twelve-year-old girl, chasing after boys (or a single particular boy more like it) while having to be protected. She was stoic and strong, yet quiet in her disposition…until you pissed her off, then she'd knock the shit out of you.

But she still lived a simple life, admiring the simple beautiful things, such as a sunset or a mountain. Her nineteen-year-old self stood with a trained mask over her face, not revealing the slightest emotion. All ANBU were like that, and she reveled in the idea that she could now hide her true thoughts and feelings from the world.

But her fantasies of families and happy endings were now dead. Some people even called her pessimistic, but she really wasn't negative. She knew her limits and what she was capable of, as well as the strength and weaknesses of her comrades. If a mission could be done, she'd say it, but if she doubted the skill of others for a particular mission, she never failed to say what was on her mind. She never thought of it as pessimism, but realism.

'Tsunade said it should be fairly simple, protect a guy. How hard can that be, right? What was his name again…Heza…no…Hik…no…hmm…Hiza…Hizaru? That sounds right, Kudan Hizaru. I'll have to check the specs of the mission again to make sure though. I guess this is as good a time as any to take a break.'

Sakura glanced down at the ground for a few more strides before she saw a small clearing in the branches. Taking a short step, she jumped to the ground, landing lightly on the balls of her feet. Allowing her knees to bend slightly and absorb the shock of her impact, she straightened up and walked over to a tall tree.

A young blonde landed beside her, not quite as gracefully though. His cerulean eyes sparkled with anticipation at the upcoming mission. His messy hair swayed a little with the gentle breeze as he watched his comrade.

Sakura lowered herself to one knee and leaned her back against the oak. Her backpack slipped off her shoulders as she slung it around her body. She opened up the first pocket and pulled out the scroll.

"What'cha doin' Sakura-chan?" the blonde asked inquisitively.

"Hmm…we need to learn this information and understand all circumstances of this mission. Plus, you're probably hungry by now, ne Naruto?"

Naruto gave her a lopsided grin as he nodded his head and sat down to begin his personal picnic. Sakura decided to ignore him for the time being so she could focus on the necessary information. She knew Naruto could care less, nor would he retain the facts if she tried to tell him. Both were well aware of this and simply stayed content in silence.

Sakura stared at the parchment for a moment, and began absorbing the information so that she wouldn't need to look at the scroll again.

'Okay, so his name is Kudan Hizaru. So, I was right. Let's see, says here he is 24 and is asking for an escort from Mist to Sand. But it doesn't say why. People don't simply hire people to guard them do they? That would be rather pointless and silly if you ask me. I wonder…what would he have that would attract others to him? He is paying for a B rank mission, so that is against thieves and low ranked ninjas. I'll have to ask when I see him I suppose. We need to meet him at sundown tonight in the Rhinegold Cavern.'

Sakura looked up from her musings. 'We need to get going if we want to make it on time.'

Rolling the scroll back up, she stuffed it back into the same pouch that it had been resting in previously. As she stood up, she slung the bag over her left shoulder. She took a quick glance back to make sure she had everything and hadn't left any traces of her presence.

"Naruto, we need to leave now if we want to make it in time. I don't want to sprint, that would just be a waste of our chakra and energy if we happen to need it in battle."

"Hai Sakura-chan," the blonde stuffed the last bits of the potato chips Choji gave him in his mouth and stood up. He took a quick survey to make sure he wasn't leaving anything and nodded towards the pink haired kunoichi.

Once satisfied that neither of them left a trace, she proceeded to slip her right arm through the other loop on the backpack while summoning chakra to her feet. Within a blink of an eye, she had pushed off the ground, with her chakra enhancing her strength, thrusting herself back up into the tree limbs. Naruto followed suit and landed on a tree branch just above Sakura's waist.

Once again she took off, heading towards the land hidden in the Mist, Naruto keeping pace.

OoO

Itachi stood under a clearing with a small piece of bread. It wasn't much, but it was substantial enough. It wouldn't weigh them down and bread was more filling so it wouldn't require as much to fill them.

He looked off to the North, that was where his little brother lived in their old village.

_I wonder if Sasuke has gotten any stronger. _He mused simply._ Probably not, I will never understand why he can't be as strong as me. Maybe he wasn't meant to be ninja…or maybe I was meant to be a killer. Either way, makes no difference, I doubt he'll ever catch up…foolish little Sasuke._

Kisame sat under a tall oak, basking in the delight of rest but sorely missing sake.

_I haven't drank in a while, which being around Itachi, is probably good. If I'm drunk I might say or do something stupid and Itachi could put me through a hell of a lot of pain just by looking at me with that damn Mangekou Sharingan of his. Sober is definitely the way to go with him. But damnit, I want a drink so bad!_

"Kisame…" Itachi looked over towards the large man. It was time for them to go, but one of Kisame's qualities that Itachi did enjoy was that he rarely had to say much to get his point across. Furthermore, Kisame never talked much either. Itachi enjoyed the silence, talking about irrelevant things was pointless. In silence, he could think and plan different angles and what to expect from enemies and targets. Itachi didn't doubt that he was the strongest, but he didn't want to become overconfident and arrogant.

_That was the "great Uchiha clan's" downfall, their arrogance. They got so overconfident that they became careless. They deserved to die, I don't want any claim to them and their stupidity._

"Hai Itachi, I'm ready."

Kisame stood up and slung his sword over his back. Stuffing the last bit of bread into his mouth, he dashed off a second after the elder Uchiha.


	2. Chapter 2

**Howdy my peeps! I just got excited cuz I really think this story is gonna rock hard!! Yahoo! I can't wait, and since I already had a reviewer ask me to update, I figured I might as well! Besides, I really don't have anything better to do, my parents won't let me go anywhere. Evidently, my dad and I were gonna go on a horseback ride (yes I have a horse and I love her!) but something spooked my horse and I fell. I don't remember anything so, I can't say I'm scared of what occurred, I'm more bothered that I really don't know what happened. Oh well, the people at the hospital say it is a concussion, but my head hurts like hell! Anyway, here is your story, feel free to review!!**

Chapter 2

"Yeah, Sakura-chan we are finally here!" Naruto was ecstatic over the small feat.

"And on time at that." Sakura added. "Okay, we need to meet this guy Kudan Hizaru at Rhinegold Cavern. He should be showing up there soon, so lets head over there."

"Yeah! There will be food! I'm starved!"

Naruto ran ahead like a child going to a candy store. Sakura shook her head in disappointment at the childish actions of the twenty-year-old. Letting out a small sigh she began contemplating different actions and problems they could encounter on their way to Sand.

_Hmm…nothing too extraordinary lies between Mist and Sand. There are a couple danger areas where an ambush could be easily set up, but I doubt we will encounter that on a B-ranked mission. This will probably be a pretty simple mission. But Tsunade-sama wanted us to go on an easy one after that last trip to Stone. Wow, that mission was tough. I still don't want to think about it._

A small shudder raced up the kunoichi's spine as she came out of the confines of her mind. She was in front of the Rhinegold Cavern, and the sun had already set. In fact, the moon was now casting its pale glow on the Earth.

Sakura peeked inside the bar to see Naruto consumed in eating what appeared to be his sixth bowl of ramen.

_How typical Naruto, I wish you could mature to act more your age. _But at that she had to smile. But, then again, _Naruto's actions and attitude is what I love about him the most. He is so carefree and optimistic about everything. I wish him the best of luck with Hinata. They truly deserve each other, and poor Naruto has been so clueless to her affection towards him. That's kind of funny though. I nearly had to beat the idea into him. _

Sakura's reminiscing ceased, losing her relaxed appearance and was immediately replaced by an rigid tenseness that ran trough her entire body.

"Naruto." Sakura called out just loud enough for him to hear.

Naruto looked over to his teammate. He knew that voice and didn't like it. Promptly he stood up, wandering whether to leave the remaining ramen or bring it with him to see Sakura-chan. With a sigh, he dropped his arms and turned to Sakura outside the door. Her expression looked a little trouble, but as a ninja, she was skilled at hiding her emotions.

"Hai Sakura-chan. What's wrong? Has that Kudan Hizaru guy shown up yet?"

"No." Sakura paused. "I haven't met our target yet, but I just felt some really strong chakra somewhere out that way only a few hundred kilometers away. I don't know who it was Naruto, but I don't think we can handle them."

Naruto's face scrunched up as he thought about her comment.

"You said 'them' right, Sakura-chan. Does that mean you felt more than one person?" Sakura nodded her head curtly, still looking out as if searching for them. "Well, then why can't I feel any chakra outside of your own?"

"They must have sensed us and masked it. And if they can mask so much chakra so quickly and flawlessly, imagine how advanced they must be."

"Oh, who cares." Naruto demanded off-handedly. "We don't know if they are an enemy, and if they are, I beat the hell out of them! Believe it!"

Sakura felt a slight tug on the sides of her mouth at Naruto's signature phrase and began berating herself.

_Why am I so worried? Naruto's right after all, I don't know who these people are and if they are an enemy to start with so I shouldn't bother with it too much. Wait! I just said that Naruto was right...who would have ever imagined that happening?!_

"Okay, go back in and finish your meal. Kudan Hizaru should be around here somewhere. Chances are we are just going to have to ask around to find him."

"Hai."

As soon as Naruto turned his back Sakura walked up to the first customer she saw and began the long tedious task at hand.

"Excuse me…sir…do you per chance know who Kudan Hizaru is?"

_I'm going to get sick of this really quick..._

Itachi and Kisame continued their brisk pace all the way to the Mist.

The big fish-like man looked around.

_Geez, I haven't been back here in forever. I guess it makes no difference, though. I wonder if any of my old friends are around. Probably not, and even if they were, they would most likely be ordered to kill me. Oh well, they can bring it on as far as I am concerned. They were all pretty weak anyw..._

"Kisame."

Itachi turned his head slightly so that Kisame could see one of his Mangekyo eyes.

"There are two ninja ahead."

Kisame picked up on the hint and covered his chakra so that nobody could sense him.

_Good. There is somebody worthy of fighting if Itachi can sense them from all the way out here. I was beginning to worry I wouldn't be able to have any fun._

A small feral grin adorned Kisame's face as he put himself on alert to the two ninja's chakra ahead. But as Kisame looked at Itachi he noticed that the Uchiha was still looking at him.

_Did I miss something? What the hell is he still looking at me for?_

"What else?" Kisame gave up.

"One of them belongs to the Kyuubi."

Itachi finally looked to where they were heading as Kisame's excitement grew. This mission had an unexpected bonus attached and he knew that the elder Uchiha had every intention of obtaining it.

"How convenient." Kisame whispered.

"Hmm… Kudan Hizaru, eh? Yeah, actually I think its that guy over there in the corner. He has been really quiet ever since he got here a couple days ago. Gets jumpy whenever someone goes near him. Watch your step girly if you are going to go bother him."

Sakura had already zoned him out. She knew who Kudan Hizaru was and that was all she needed from the man. After politely thanking the man, Sakura turned towards the counter to sit next to Naruto.

"Found him."

"You did? Great job Sakura-chan!"

Naruto began looking around anxiously.

"Uh…Sakura-chan, where is he?"

"Come on. I'm waiting for you so we can approach him together."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Naruto paid for his ninth bowl and stood up. Sakura leading, they made their way to the back of the bar so the guy she was told to be Kudan Hizaru.

Within five yards of him, Kudan stood up and got into what ended up being a really sorry defensive position.

_I thought he was twenty-four, this man looks well over thirty and heading into his forties. Did he age like that or did he lie? _

A dark forest green shirt hung loosely from the man's underweight body as light tan pants were held up by worn leather belt. The man's brown hair was unruly, but it looked like Kudan had attempted to tame it.

Sakura decided she should speak to calm the man down and try to keep Naruto's lack of manners hidden a little while longer until their target knew who they were.

"Hello, I'm Sakura Haruno and this is Naruto Uzumaki. We are both from Konoha and were sent to escort you. You must be Kudan Hizaru, ne?"

His position relaxed as he turned around to pick up a light brown cloak. He tossed it over his arms and hastily buttoned two random spots in the middle.

"Hai, I'm Kudan Hizaru. If you will begin now, we can try to make it to Sand sooner than expected. I don't want to waste anytime, I've already wasted enough waiting for you."

With that, Kudan pushed pass the two ninja, and they followed wordlessly.

_Back on the road again and we have yet to have any rest. This is going to be a long night._

Itachi and Kisame infiltrated the village hidden in the Mist easily under the cover of night. They already heard that Konoha ninjas had been sent to protect their target, but who would have guessed that it was the Kyuubi and one of the other brats.

They made their way over to the main gate. If they waited here, then the Kyuubi and Kudan Hizaru wouldn't be able to get by them. A flawless plan that required no energy or commitment from the Akatsuki members other than to sit and wait. Which was rather difficult for Kisame.

_Finally, I can't wait. I hope Itachi lets me fight the Kyuubi. Eh, knowing him though, the selfish bastard will order me to take the Kyuubi's companion. I wonder who he is with anyway. Let's see, they ought to be 'round twenty now. So I'll bet that kid can control the chakra of the nine tailed fox demon. Won't that make things difficult? How exciting..._

Itachi's face was solemn. His façade perfectly hid all of his emotions.

_Hmm...let's see, I recognize the Kyuubi's companion. I have felt this chakra before, but who does it belong to? Oh well, I guess I deal with too many shinobi to keep up with every single one. We will just have to see when they arrive, but I'm glad its not Sasuke. That weakling will only get in the way, insisting he is strong enough to touch me. It would seem he inherited the Uchiha arrogance and that will be his downfall as well. _

_The Kyuubi is closer. He seems to be unhindered by anything so he will be at his top fighting potential. Kisame probably won't be able to beat him, nor do I want to risk losing the demon for Kisame's inability to control himself. If the boy dies before we extract the demon, then the demon will die as well. And we still have to take out Kudan Hizaru as that was our original mission._

Itachi looked over to Kisame to see if he had noticed their target's approach. To Itachi's annoyance, Kisame seemed to be thinking about something else.

"They're coming." Itachi's low calm voice warned.

_Why can't Kisame focus? If he keeps spacing off he is going to get caught off-guard. The Kyuubi is less than a kilometer away and he is thinking about who knows what. How annoying? _

Both men sat silently, hidden by the foliage of the trees, awaiting their unsuspecting prey.

"Hey, Kudan-san, why did you hire us to protect you? You got something special or important?"

Naruto was just trying to make conversation, however their customer became outraged.

"I hired you to protect me, not ask questions! So you just do what needs to be done and protect me! Got it!?"

Sakura saw Naruto's anger building up, and she couldn't help but become annoyed with Kudan's reaction as well.

"My apologies Kudan-san. What Naruto is inquiring though is not as pointless as you may think. If you hired ninja for protection against other ninja, than you either are important yourself or have something of importance. What Naruto is implying is what are we actually protecting, you or something you have."

Naruto was silently fuming with his arms over his chest. His head tilted down somewhat as a grim look adorned his face. All of his muscles contracted as he tried to surpress his anger and not punch Kudan for talking to him like that.

Kudan walked in-between the two shinobi silently, musing over the logic to Sakura's question. He knew that they had a right to know, but he still didn't wish to tell them unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I choose to withhold that information and ask you to protect me." Kudan answered with a steady, yet quiet voice.

_He's not sure if not telling us is the right decision or not. Should I try and get it out of him before we leave the village? No doubt that knowing what others would find valuable on him would help us foresee possible enemies. However, it doesn't sound like it is too terribly important. It is just a B-rank, so I'll go along with it for now unless I deem it necessary later on, then I will force him to tell us-but only if it comes to that._

Happy with her decision, Sakura nodded her head at Kudan and they continued to make their way to the village's main gate.

_The Kyuubi's partner is that girl? _Itachi wondered. _Is she so well trained that the village saw it fit to send her to protect that fool Kudan? Either I have underestimated her ability or Kudan lied about the particulars of his job. Whichever way, it will make our job easier. It will be enough of a pain to deal with the demon boy, we don't need anybody else causing problems._

Kisame's right hand left his side as it firmly gripped the handle of his Samehada. Itachi stood as motionless as ever, waiting for them to exit the village.

Itachi felt the branch shift under him and glanced over at the over-anxious Kisame.

_Almost... _Kisame repeated. _Almost..._

"Naruto, calm down and get over it. You should be use to customers treating you like this. They all do it to every shinobi, just ignore their pointle…"

Sakura's head shot over to a tree by the main gate as she froze in her tracks. Naruto looked at her curiously then felt it.

"Kudan-san." Sakura pronounced his name concisely.

"Hai," the man began turning around but before he could both shinobi had kunai out and were forming a wall in front of him.

"Stay behind us Kudan-san. Sakura-chan, are you ready?"

Sakura's face was serious, but not hint of fear played across it. She was proud at that since all she could think was that the people up ahead were most likely that huge chakra source she'd felt earlier.

"Naruto, I think one of them has the large chakra I felt earlier. Are you ready?"

Sakura was nervous no doubt, but asking Naruto that question would further motivate him and that could only work in her favor.

"Believe it," he muttered.

_She felt our chakra already? That's interesting. I didn't believe that she would be skilled at much, but I have underestimated her. She said that she felt me earlier as well...that was probably around the time I sensed them. Interesting, so she is skilled in chakra precision whereto the Kyuubi is a powerhouse of chakra, determination and strength. Putting the two together is not a bad idea. No point in staying here, they know we are in the vicinity, the longer we wait, the more likely she will pinpoint our exact location and tell the Kyuubi. _

Itachi dropped from the tree soundlessly and felt Kisame follow landing on Itachi's right. Their black cloaks followed their motion, skirting their ankles as they began swaying in the light breeze.

They slipped out of the shadows of the trees and confronted the three.

Sakura's eyes, though barely noticeable, widened a little at the sight of the black robes adorned with red clouds.

_Oh shit. Akatsuki! What are they doing here? Is it for Kudan or Naruto? _

A small smirk began to play on Itachi's lips when he saw the pink-haired kunoichi. However fleeting the emotion was, a flash of fear crossed her face. Itachi once again composed himself to ensure the small smirk never surfaced while staring first at the kunoichi, then to Kudan, and finally resting on the Kyuubi.

Kisame's arm had never left its original position on Samehada's hilt and he showed off a feral grin of small sharp teeth at the two shinobi in front of him.

"Hi, we will be taking Kudan now. Oh, and since the Kyuubi is here, I guess we can take him too." Kisame harsh voice cut through the silence.

"Burn in hell you son of bitch!" Naruto shot back at the shark.

_So they were after Kudan, but then why didn't he say so earlier? These aren't low-level ninja, these are perhaps the strongest ninja alive. Damnit, why does it seem I always end up in these predicaments? And now they plan on taking the demon inside of Naruto, but that will kill him. I must protect Naruto!_

Kisame let out a small chuckle before turning to Itachi.

"You want the Kyuubi Itachi." It wasn't really a question because Kisame already knew the answer. It was more for reassurance purposes so they both knew who was dealing with who and there was less confusion.

_Itachi, oh my god! Of all the Akatsuki members, we have to run into this pair. Shit this is definitely not looking to our favor._

"Hn."

"Sakura-chan, protect Kudan-san, he is our missi…" Naruto began.

"Shut up Naruto. I'm killing that stupid fish. Just keep Itachi preoccupied. I should be done with shark boy in a few minutes and I can help you. If you keep Itachi away and I keep that fish thing away, then Kudan-san will be in no immediate danger. These are the only two I sense, so they are the only two we have to deal with."

Sakura turned her head slightly so that she could keep her eyes on the Akatsuki members but be able to easily talk to their customer.

"Kudan-san, I'm afraid I must ask you to return to the village and go where ever you please to get away from here. I'll find you once we are finished here, 'kay?"

Kudan was scared to death. He mumbled an apology then ran back towards the village.

Now all of their attention focused directly on their opponents.

Itachi was motionless as always, but his mind was interpreting everything that she said and deducing her abilities and skills.

_She is smart and a quick-thinker. She is probably going to be resourceful and with the amount of chakra control she possesses she should be very efficient in her jutsu as well as accurate. It would appear that the once weak scared little genin has changed quite a bit. What an interesting little kunoichi, if Kisame doesn't take her seriously she just might hurt him..._

Itachi focused his eyes on the blonde as Kisame's eyes drifted over to the kunoichi.

Naruto put his hands together and began molding some of his chakra, ready to perform any jutsu, though he was planning only one in particular. His body tensing up at the anticipation of their fight.

Sakura's hands drifted to her thigh where she pulled out eight kunai, four in each hand. The blades glistened in the light as she crossed her arms over her chest and readied her body to move by dipping down low, bending her knees thus allowing her to react quicker.

Kisame finally pulled the large sword off of his back and readied it in front of himself where he could easily change from offensive to defensive in a second. The size of the sword suggested its weight, yet Kisame wielded the sword like it was no more than a mere pound or so.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his attention away from the kunoichi and to the Kyuubi.

The tension hung thick in the air as Naruto decided to make the first move.

"BRING IT!" he yelled as he lunged towards Itachi doing several hand signs. It had finally begun.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey ya'll, first off, I am so sorry! I had the scenes divided up on my computer, but I didn't realize that it didn't carry over! I'll go back and fix the first 2 chapters later, but now each part is separated by a (OoO) so I hope it flows easier now. Thanks for reading and please review! Kia

Chapter 3

As Naruto finished his last hand sign, six clones appeared beside him. Two of the clones rushed forward in an attempt to tackle Itachi, but he sidestepped them, releasing two kunai that hit their marks perfectly. As those clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke, another rushed the Uchiha.

_His speed has increased as well as his chakra control. He isn't wasting as much as he did last time we fought, but in his case, I'm not sure if that makes much of a difference considering he has a nearly endless supply of chakra in his reserves._

Itachi continued dodging Naruto's attacks, only counterattacking every so often.

_What the hell?! Why isn't this guy fighting back? Is he trying to distract me? Sakura-chan seems to be doing okay. What if he is testing me? But he could do that later couldn't he. Damnit, maybe he is just trying to piss me off, and it is working! _Naruto fumed.

"What's the matter you bastard? Why aren't you fighting back?" Naruto demanded.

Itachi watched the boy as a faint look of amusement crossed his face. _He isn't as difficult to deal with as I had predicted, is he holding back as well? But that wouldn't make sense for him. He is too impulsive to think before he acts. Hmm…I wonder what he is planning?_

OoO

Sakura watched Naruto rush forward and was curious as to what he had planned, but she didn't get the chance to watch. Kisame had taken his lunge at the exact moment, forcing Sakura to deal with him.

_Okay Sakura, what do you know about this guy? He must be Hoshigake Kisame judging by his physical appearance, missing nin of the Village Hidden in the Mist, aka the "Mysterious Monster of the Hidden Mist." He uses a sword known as Samehada, otherwise known as shark skin, which can drain his opponent's chrakra if they are hit with it. It doesn't slice, it rips its opponents. He uses his sword in conjunction with the ninjutsu he learned as a shinobi of the Land of Water. Okay, so I have the upper hand of knowing his talents, and need to avoid being hit with that sword of his. After seeing its size, Kisame can't possibly be able to move it as fluidly or agilely as I can move. Plus, the weight should wear him down, so I need to play that to my advantage._

Sakura jumped up just in time to avoid the sword's edge. Propelling herself backwards, she did a backflip and landed lightly on her feet, ready to avoid his next strike.

"What's wrong kunoichi, I thought you could kill me in a few minutes. You haven't even attempted to hit me. Don't quit that soon, I haven't even had a chance to warm up yet."

Sakura knew she was playing Kisame into her hand, but she couldn't let him on to it. She slowly began masking her chakra, little by little. _If I keep covering it up, he will think that I'm exerting myself and am getting tired, so he'll leave an opening for me. I will only have one shot so I need to make it count, but if he doesn't stop antagonizing me, I'll just rip him open right here! I don't care if I waste too much chakra doing it!_

OoO

Eleven Narutos surrounded the otherwise placid Itachi. With a calm demeanor he watched all of the clones, looking for a clue as to which was the real one, but the chakra distribution was perfect so they all appeared the same, even to his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Shurikens and kunai came rushing towards Itachi, using his own weapons, he threw them directly at each of Naruto's strikes. The steel clanked against each other, then fell to the ground digging into the earth. Immediately Itachi began a series of his own hand signs.

_It is time this battle gets serious. The more time we waste here, the further Kudan can run. Chasing him wouldn't be a challenge, but it would be an annoying waste of time._

Jumping fifty feet above the ground, Itachi brought his hand up to his mouth and blew eleven fireballs out…one for each Naruto.

OoO

"Eh, kunoichi, your chakra is already running out? You're weaker than I thought!"

_And you're stupider than I thought. _Sakura retorted mentally.

Sakura was amazed at how much of her concentration it required to exert just enough strength to avoid Kisame, while attempting to look exhausted, in the meantime masking her chakra. But it was worth it. The more Sakura slowed down, the more Kisame unconsciously slowed down.

_He is too stupid to know that he is falling for a trap. Itachi probably would have caught on, but I'm going to exploit Kisame's stupidity to my advantage. Just a little longer and I should be able to hit the pressure point on his neck to knock him out._

_OoO_

Itachi watched from above as the Kyuubi clones began disappearing into clouds of smoke. As his feet finally touched the ground from his previous attack, he opened up his senses to feel for the Kyuubi.

_I don't sense him, but the kunoichi seems to be running low on chakra. She is weaker than I thought. Where is the Kyuubi though?_

All of Itachi's fireballs hit their target, and as the smoke cleared, Itachi was pleased to see one lone Naruto lying on the ground unconscious. Itachi began walking towards the sleeping demon container, aware that the demon itself could easily talk over the boy's body and fight through him.

OoO

Sakura continued her fight with Kisame.

_Wait for the opening Sakura! He is already becoming careless with you. Just wait for the opening. Any second now…there!_

Kisame's thrust left his right arm across his body, with Samehada's momentum twisting Kisame's body to the left, leaving the right side of his neck completely exposed and it was the perfect opportunity.

As soon as Sakura saw her opportunity she dropped all pretenses, unmasking her chakra. With a hard look of determination, Sakura forced chakra into her legs to increase her speed and her arms and fingers to increase the amount of pressure she could inflict when she reached him.

She let out a small smirk as she maneuvered behind Kisame before he could react. She raised her hand and was in the process of bringing it down hard on the junction between his shoulder and neck to knock him out, or kill him if she was lucky.

OoO

Itachi moved towards Naruto, but as soon as he came within five feet of the body, he felt something out of place.

Itachi jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the brunt of the attack. The real Naruto had just erupted out of the ground, intending to land the spinning Rasengan on Itachi's throat, but missing by inches, catching the Uchiha on the shoulder instead.

_Damnit, I stepped into that trap. Rather my arm than my neck, but what an interesting attack. That was too close, I'm done with him, we need to take what we need and go._

Itachi never even stopped to regain his bearings after Naruto's assault as he moved forward with speed that Naruto couldn't even detect.

OoO

Sakura moved with confidence. She knew she was going to hit him, and even if it didn't knock him out, it would really hurt him, most likely paralyzing his arm for the next few hours.

OoO

Naruto found his neck in Itachi's hand a second later. The elder Uchiha's hand was closing around his windpipe, suffocating him.

"Damnit, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled frantically before he passed into unconsciousness.

OoO

Sakura's mind went crazy when she heard her name, as she began to turn around to find her former teammate.

_Don't get distracted!_

But it was too late, Kisame had already swung Samehada back around and it came in full contact with Sakura's back.

She instantly felt her chakra diffuse as she closed her eyes and bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. The sword barely touched her and was brief in its pain, but the effects were devastating to her.

Her body fell to the ground as she looked over at Naruto's limp form dangling from Itachi's hand. Itachi then threw Naruto's body to the side roughly before turning to face Kisame.

"Finish her, I'm going after Kudan."

"With pleasure."

With that, Itachi turned and began walking back towards the village as Sakura began struggling to her feet.

_I still have some chakra. I can't expect to defeat both of them after losing so much of my chakra, nor can I help Kudan. But Akatsuki can't get the nine-tailed fox from Naruto. I have to same him! Think Sakura, there has to be a way! Think, that is what we are good at, so do it! What can I do to ge- _a plan suddenly formed in her head. _It will mean my life at their mercy, but it pretty much is already. Right now, Naruto is the most important thing. Akatsuki will not have the Kyuubi!_

Sakura righted herself, swaying slightly before standing straight. She took a glance over her shoulder to see that Itachi was too far away to react in time.

_Perfect._

Pushing a small amount of chakra into her feet, she took off towards her unconscious comrade.

"What the hell?!" Kisame exclaimed as he saw her take off.

_How can she still have enough chakra to move at that speed? I'm amazed she can even stand. Wait, where is she going? Oh shit…_

Sakura was kneeling next to Naruto going through several hand signs in rapid succession.

_I don't have enough to move both of us Naruto, so you're going to safety alone. Thanks for always believing in me Naruto._

Naruto barely opened a lidded eye, slowly drifting back to unconsciousness. "Sakura-chan…" he whispered gently as his eyes fell shut and he was suffused into darkeness.

Itachi turned when he heard Kisame's vulgar yelling. But what he saw upset him.

_Those are signs for a transportation jutsu. She is going to send him somewhere so we can't get the Kyuubi. Damnit Kisame, why couldn't you take care of a single kunoichi?_

Itachi rushed back but before he made it within ten feet, the Kyuubi's body vanished. The kunoichi sat back for only a second, looking up long enough for both of them to see her smirk as she collapsed on the ground unconscious completely out of chakra.


	4. Chapter 4

**Yeah, I just seriously realized that I haven't been putting up disclaimers and all (sorry), but I think it is kinda obvious I don't own Naruto (though if anybody would like to donate to the Kia-Owns-All-Anime Foundation, I would be happy to accept it). So yeah, I don't own Naruto, cuz if I did, I would be scripting the anime or writing the manga, but I'm not, I'm writing this, which I hope is good, and currently I am hoping that I haven't terribly confused you! Moving on, ENJOY!**

**Chapter 4**

"Damnit! The sorry little Konoha bitch!" Kisame's anger flared as Itachi stood impassively next to her body.

_Well played kunoichi. She probably sent him back to Konoha where there would be much more surveillance and it would be more difficult for Akatsuki to get to him. But that is an advanced jutsu, if used wrong, she could have sent him to the bottom of the ocean. I wonder who she really is._

Itachi looked over to the ranting Kisame. He hadn't stopped cursing her yet for besting him.

_This situation might work to our advantage though. She has saved the Kyuubi, but who will save her? If she stays as our hostage we can try to bargain her for the demon container. Even if they don't trade, no doubt the Kyuubi's feelings will get in the way and he will rush to her rescue against the Hokage's orders. Another example of how feelings make you vulnerable to others, another weakness._

"Kisame."

Kisame finally shut his mouth and looked over to his partner. He knew that yelling at Sakura while she was unconscious accomplished nothing and was simply wasting his energy, but it made him feel better and that was enough of a benefit to him.

_I can't believe that I was bested by some wimpy little Konoha kunoichi! Damnit, if the others find out they will never let me live it down. I ought to just kill her to get even, in fact, I will!_

Kisame's eyes drifted from the Uchiha to the small frame on the ground. Lifting his Samehada, he pulled his arm back slightly preparing to give her a final crushing blow.

"We will take her back to base with us," a silky voice remarked.

This idea shocked Kisame.

"What the hell, Itachi?! This worthless piece of shit deserves nothing more than to rot in hell! Why would you want her to go back to Stone with us?" Kisame realized that he was stepping on thin ice by challenging Itachi, but he really didn't care. This girl had to die.

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as Kisame objected to him. Both knew who would win in a fight, but Kisame bluntly refused to follow Itachi's orders, and that was a serious offense.

Kisame immediately say Itachi's demeanor change from the nonchalant façade he showed everyone, to a more aggressive expression, just a cold glint in his scarlet eyes. It would be hard for others to notice, but Kisame had known Itachi long enough to see the change. Kisame couldn't be sure, but he though he saw Itachi's eyes change to a deeper red as a slight scowl appeared.

_Damnit, now I need to get back on Itachi's good side before he decides to kill me. Stupid kunoichi, see what you have caused?_

Kisame plunged Samehada into the ground with annoyance and crossed his enormous arms over his chest.

"Hmph…fine do whatever. I don't care anyway, I can just kill her later. What do you want her alive for anyway?"

Kisame didn't honestly expect an answer, but seeing Itachi's eyes shift back to the kunoichi made him feel more relieved then he could have though possible.

Itachi took a quick survey of the girl and realized that outside of several cuts and bruises, she didn't look too beat up. But then Itachi's mind drifted back to Samehada's crushing blow to her back.

_That probably broke a few ribs, but she is unconscious for losing so much chakra from Samehada, and transporting the Kyuubi. She could have probably continued her fight with Kisame. But I felt her chakra, it was low, where did she manage to summon the energy need to move the Kyuubi, and why him? She could have saved herself, she probably gave into her feelings, her weakness. But she really isn't injured terribly for fighting with Kisame, did she hold back? Was she trying to save up her chakra?_

"Hn." Itachi turned his back on the two and disappeared.

"Now where the hell is he going?" Kisame muttered under his breath. "Oh, right, that Kudan guy."

A small chuckle reverberated in the bluish man. _Poor Kudan, he's a dead man. I only wish I was there to kill him instead, since Itachi won't let me kill the kunoichi._

Kisame sat down beside Sakura and began his own evaluation of the girl and their battle.

_Damn kunoichi. She was fast, I didn't expect that, and she is pretty good at her jutsu I guess. I can still kick her sorry ass though. She'll be out for a while with all the chakra Samehada absorbed. I might as well go find something to drink._

Kisame let out some of his chakra and began forming ropes around her hands and ankles, then reinforced the hold by adding another string around her ribs to keep her arms close to her body. He couldn't help but smirk when she flinched as the chakra rope pressed harder against her ribs.

_I must have broken some of her ribs. _He thought smugly.

Once she was bound, Kisame scooped her small body up in his arms and took her into the nearby trees. He placed her on a wide branch with several smaller branches around it to help support her weight.

_That'll do. She'd have to roll two or so feet to fall off, though I wouldn't really mind watching her fall. It might be amusing._

The last thought of her pink hair streaming through the air as she fell through the air to the ground made Kisame give a light laugh as he left her body, and took off toward the town's bar.

OoO

Naruto was laying in a white hospital room under the white sheets. His face contorted to a look of pained agony.

"Damnit Naruto, I need you to wake up. I need to know what happened. I need to know, where is Skaura?" Tsunade was impatiently standing by the door murmuring questions and demands to the blond boy before her.

She was staring at him, her concentration focusing, willing Naruto to wake up.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" the boy's once still body jumped to life as he sat up in a panic. Tsunade was beside him within a second.

"Naruto, what happened?" she demanded.

Naruto looked back to her, completely puzzled.

"How did I get here?" He inquired breathlessly. "Where is Sakura-chan?" he added quietly.

"Kiba and Akamaru found you unconscious in the woods before they began training. Kiba said that you couldn't have been there for too long because that is where they always practice together. He also told me that outside of the scent actually on you, he couldn't pick up your scent anywhere else-the ground or trees. He said that it was just like you appeared there out of nowhere. Supposedly only those two know about their special little training area, so how did you end up there?"

Tsunade was staring at the contemplative boy intensely.

"Akatsuki, they were the ones after Kudan-san. Kudan Hizaru hired us to protect him against the Akatsuki. But he never told us that, we didn't even make it out of Mist before we met up with them. Damnit!" His knuckles became as white as the sheets as his muscles contracted in anger, balling up with his nails digging into his palm. "Sakura told Kudan-san to run and hide. She took on some big fish man with a huge sword while I fought with that Itachi bastard. Dmanit, I thought I could beat him!"

Tsunade watched the boy mentally berate himself for not being strong enough.

"Itachi knocked me out, the last thing I remember was Sakura looking at me, then I passed out. Since you're asking me where Sakura-chan is, that means she didn't come back. What did she do?"

Tsunade felt terrible for the boy as she reiterated their battle.

_Some big fish man with a huge sword…that would be Kisame with his Samehada. Sakura could have taken him on, but it sounds like she left her battle with him to got to Naruto's aid against Itachi. So they wouldn't get the Kyuubi she must have used that transporting jutsu I taught her. Damnit, she wouldn't have enough chakra left after that jutsu to take on Kisame, let alone Itachi. Shit, she sacrificed herself to keep Naruto safe and the nine tailed fox demon away from Akatusuki. If I had only known that Akatsuki were going to be involved, then I would have never let just those two go, I would have sent Neji and Lee with them. That Kudan Hizaru better pray that I never find him, because if I do, I will kill him for lying to me and putting my apprentice and the fox demon into Akatsuki's worthless hands._

"Go back to sleep Naruto and rest up. We will talk again when you have your strength back." Tsunade turned to leave, feeling ten years older.

Of course she had pretty much known already that Sakura had either died or been taken hostage. She had pretty much known already exactly what happened, with the exception of whom it was that the two had been fighting.

"I'm perfectly fine you old-" Naruto began to yell, but was promptly silenced by someone's fist "Ow!"

Kakashi looked over at Naruto, an innocent look on his face.

"Aaaa…Kakashi-sensei, what'd you do that for?!" Naruto demanded.

"There was a fly." The silver-haired ninja remarked simply.

Tsunade allowed a small smile to reveal itself as she watched the hyperactive Naruto argue with his former teacher. It was true that Kakashi's pupils had long since become Kakashi's equal, but they all still called him sensei, with the exception of Sasuke. Sasuke had yet to even say Kakashi's name, in fact, outside of simple answers, Sasuke never really spoke, not since his return from Sound.

_Another problem I have to deal with. I should just blame all the damn Uchiha's, it was the older one that killed so many civilians of his own blood which drove the younger one to become an avenger. In addition, Itachi now has either killed Sakura or is holding her hostage, and the younger one has most likely revealed everything he knows about Konoha's strengths and weaknesses to Sound. Why do these damn Uchiha's keep complicating everything?_

"Kakashi, make sure Naruto stays here and try to keep him quiet. I'll talk to him when he has fully recovered." Tsunade didn't even wait for Kakashi's reply as she shut the door.

"Shizune!"

A short dark haired woman ran up. A small pig laying in the woman's arms peacefully. She was Tsunade's first apprentice and currently her second in command/assistant.

"Shizune, I need you to bring Shikamaru, Neji, Lee, Kiba, Hinata, Shino and Tenten to me now."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Shizune turned on her hell and began to scurry off.

"Wait, Shizune…bring me Sasuke too."

Shizune turned around and stared at the Hokage for a moment. _Sasuke, why him? I thought he couldn't be trusted. _She snapped out of her thoughts and gave Tsunade a curt nod before turning to leave again.

Tsunade was a little surprised at her decision. _I have no idea if sending Sasuke on this mission is a good idea, but Sasuke might be useful against Itachi. I just hope Sasuke's vendetta doesn't get in the way of Sakura's rescue…if she is still alive that is._

OoO

As Itachi returned to the clearing he realized that Kisame's and the kunoichi's chakras were separated.

_Hn, Kisame left her to go get a drink. She'll be unconscious for a while, I should retrieve Kisame first. I don't even know why he went out, our target was nothing magnificent, he was easy to track and easier to dispose of. I haven't been gone for twenty minutes._

Itachi gracefully ran from tree to tree, his ebony hair streaming behind him. The red clouds on his cloak seemed to become real as the black background blended in with the night sky. The Uchiha moved along silently, never taking a misstep, never second guessing himself.

He landed wordlessly inside of the city's walls and made his way to the town's bar.

OoO

Kisame was sitting alone in the darkest corner of the bar. His face was shrouded by the shadows in the dimly lit building.

Clumsily, he grasped his cup and threw back a long drought. _That's nice._

He had always prided himself on his ability to hold his sake. Each night seemed to be a challenge, how much sake he could take before passing out always entertained him for hours.

_Of course, tonight isn't one of those nights. _Kisame thought regretfully. _Itachi would be really annoyed if I got too wasted to walk straight. Besides, I'm probably gonna end up carrying the stupid kunoichi, and dropping her might not be a good idea either._

"More sake barkeep!" Kisame's voice carried over to the counter.

The barkeeper looked up nervously and nodded his head at the fish man. The barkeeper was rather small and scrawny in size, so it was understandable why he feared the man lingering alone in the corner. Besides, everybody in the town that saw this man seemed to get out of his way. The six foot sword on his back didn't help either.

The barkeeper turned around and began pouring another cup of sake. His brown hair framed his face, hiding his eyes from the other customers temporarily while he was leaning down over the cup. The barkeeper was incredibly thankful for this, he needed a second to gain his composure and push back his fear of this foreign customer.

Taking in one last breath, he turned around slowly, his eyes a hard unfeeling brown. People with his job had to learn to put on a "tough face," especially around there. But as the barkeeper looked at the blue man, he was instantly astonished to find another man by him.

_Shit, when the hell did he come? They have the same outfit one, so that must mean that they are ninja from the same village or something. But this new guy looks a lot different. Not near as tall, but he just looks scarier. _The barkeeper stared at Itachi's dark hair that fell down his back, held together at the bottom with a black band. _Damnit, come on! I'm a barkeeper, if I show no fear, then they won't mess with me…I hope._

Trying to find his façade again, he made his way over to the secluded men. As soon as he came within five yards, the barkeeper froze in fear as one of the black haired ninja's scarlet eyes looked over to him.

_This guy, he has red eyes! He has red eyes god damnit! So cold, he's gonna kill me! I need to run! I can't believe he has red eyes!_

"Oi, Itachi. It's fine, she ain't gonna go nowhere. Sit down, let's drink eh? Sake at home is fine, but cha got to pour it all be yerself. Here, hell this guy jus does it form me!" Kisame roughly gestured to the barkeeper as Itachi's eyes focused back on Kisame.

The barkeeper quickly approached the table and set the sake on the counter, then turned quickly to scurry away.

Itachi was already annoyed. _He's already starting to slur his words. He must be around his tenth serving. In ten more he won't even be coherent and I'll have to carry both the kunoichi and him back to the base._

"It's time to go." Itachi stated simply.

"Fine, jus a couple more."

"No, now."

_Why is he being no fun?_

Kisame's own annoyance became a little evident as he stood up. He grabbed the last cup and threw his head back as he downed it. _Ah, what a great drink sake is... _

Itachi turned and began walking back towards the bar's door, Kisame follwed behind, but not quite as quietly or gracefully.

OoO

**P.S. Ya'll don't forget to review! I love reviews, they make me feel bubbly and smart and cool! Ya know, I think I might start ranting at the end of these to give ya'll something to talk about! Hell, we all have interesting personal lives, but I sometimes wonder if I am the only one living in hell (especially school and home). I will say that my home life isn't as bad as it could be, but I tire of my parents telling me what to do or wear or eat, or who to hang out with, what to read, my this list just keeps going doesn't it! I have a controlling family, oh well though, I'll just ignore them like always! Take care and please review/flame or whatever.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I still don't own Naruto, but I have 32 cents saved up, so I am well on my way!!! Oh and I decided to go ahead and post this because I wasn't sure when I would get a chance too. So this is your normal Friday update but on Tuesday (or wait it is Wednesday now shit I need to get to bed). **

**I would like to thank everyone that reviewed and give a special thanks to Sillymail for pointing out a few flaws. First off, I'm aware that Itachi and Kisame get along better then previously portrayed in the last chapter. I'm hoping to eventually get around to fixing that, but with AP exams and EOCs coming up, suffer through the mistake. Sillymail also pointed out a few other things, and I hope I have fixed them to everyone's satisfaction. I appreciate criticism ya'll, but be forewarned that I am not Masashi Kishimoto, I can't portray the characters as well as he can, but I promise that I will try. Thanks again for your support and I hope that you all enjoy!!**

**Kia**

Chapter 5

_What happened?_

Sakura began the nearly impossible task of opening her eyes. After a few seconds, her lids lifted slowly as she tried to focus on her surroundings.

_Oh no, we were fighting Akatsuki. Naruto! He has to be okay, I sent him back to Konoha. I wonder if they found him already or not? I sent him to Kiba's supposedly secret training area. They should be up, it looks to be about 5 in the morning. I hope he isn't too mad, but it was the only place I could think to send Naruto without it being blatantly obvious or leaving him open. I couldn't leave him an easy target, and Kiba would help. But I can't focus on that right now, there is nothing I can do for him. Where am I though?_

Sakura slowly pulled at her wrists, feeling them tied together so tightly, she decided that trying to break free wouldn't be in her best interest.

_Besides, I doubt I'll even be able to. I feel so drained. Wait! Akatsuki didn't kill me yet…I wonder why? It would have been simple for anybody to kill me since I was unconscious, even a genin could do it. Shit! If I'm alive, that means their only use for me would be to lure Naruto out to them! I can't serve that purpose, I need to escape or think of something!_

_Wait, that's it! I can't escape, but I can help the others figure out what is going on. When Naruto wakes up, he can tell them what took place to an extent, but not past that. I need to fill in the blanks. So long as Tsunade sends Shikamaru, I can leave clues. But where can I leave one without Itachi catching on?_

Sakura quickly sent out some of her healing chakra and began surveying the extent of Kisame's final hit on her side while contemplating how to leave clues to Shikamaru.

_Three ribs broken, two more cracked. I can't heal those right now and expect to be able to put up a fight. But then again, even if I focus all my chakra against these binds I doubt I'll be able to break free._

She began weighing the decision between healing herself and saving up her chakra to escape.

_Surely if I do escape, my side will slow me down considerably, and one hit to it and I will be on the ground reeling in agony. My best choice is going to be to heal myself and wait for another opportunity to get away._

_**But if I heal myself, I will be so weak that I won't be able to defend myself if they do turn on me!**_

_However, I don't have enough chakra to defend myself if they turned on me right now anyway!_

_**That may be true, but I'll stand a hell of a lot better chance with some chakra then with none!**_

_No, healing myself would be the wisest decision. They have kept me around this long, they aren't going to suddenly turn on me unless I provoke them._

With that decision, she allowed the healing chakra insider herself begin the task of healing her ribs, an arduous and painful task.

What she took to be about fifteen minutes later, she had her body healed to perfection, but at the price of her strength. She could already feel the effects as she tried to sit up. Slowly she used the heels of her feet and pushed her back up against the trunk of the tree, fully annoyed at the binds around her calves.

She closed her eyes momentarily to try and catch her breath. Her mind began wondering and she slowly released some small reserves of her chakra to find out where her captures were at.

"Damnit…" she mumbled softly. "They're coming."

Sakura reached down to her thigh slowly where she had a hidden shuriken.

_There really isn't much more I can do for them then this._

She agonizing brought up both of her bound hands and pulled out several thin pink strands of hair. Carefully she wrapped them around the weapon then using the miniscule amount of chakra remaining she pushed the shuriken into the tree branch. Nobody could even tell that anything had occurred to the branch.

Barely holding on to her consciousness, she used her nail to carve the Konoha symbol that embellished her headband into the bark of the tree currently supporting her. It was faint, but if someone like Shikamaru was looking for a clue, then she felt almost sure that he would find it.

_Before I fell completely unconscious, I heard Kisame and Itachi arguing about taking me with them, I think Kisame said to Stone. I know they have a base there, so it is a high possibility. I should pass that information along._

Sakura's nail began drawing the symbol for the Stone village an inch from Konoha's symbol. She finished with a small arrow between the two images pointing away from Konoha and towards Stone.

_Tsunade please send Kiba and Akamaru too, they would be able to pick up on my scent on that shuriken. Don't miss the clues Shikamaru…_

And finally, she fell into darkness, suffused in the pleasure of being unconscious while trying to gain back some of her lost chakra.

OoO

"Naruto, stay put. I'm going to go find a nurse so she can check you. As soon as one of them gives you the all clear, we can see what Tsunade is planning to do about Sakura."

Kakashi walked away from his stubborn student in search of an amateur nurse, one that could easily be fooled by Naruto's hyperness.

_If a well-trained nurse sees Naruto, she'll most likely reject his release from the hospital due to the sheer amount of cuts and scratches he has. But a new one will overlook that once they see the amount of energy and spirit he has. Naruto is fine anyway, his injuries are only minor. The fox's chakra will have him perfectly healed by tomorrow morning. My guess is that Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan knocked him out, not physical exertion. If he fell unconscious due to weariness, undoubtedly he would have more injures that were much more serious._

_Ooh, that one looks like she is new._

"Excuse me nurse, but Naruto Uzamaki feels much better and would like to be released. Would you mind signing him out, he's upstairs in room 78?"

Normally Kakashi didn't waste his time on such ridiculous things as politeness, he just didn't see any point in using it. As ninja, they are trained to get straight to business so that all problems that arise can be solved as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, the jounin also knew that using manners with young women would make them more likely to oblige.

The teenage nurse turned around to face Kakashi, the nervousness was evident by the look in her eyes.

_It's her first day_, Kakashi observed.

The nurse had light brown hair that fell almost to her waist with large amber orbs that looked hesitantly at Kakashi, then suddenly averted her line of vision to the floor.

"Well, I…um…okay, I guess. I-I'll be right there Mister…uhh." Her voice trailed off shyly as she finally brought her eyes up to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi simply nodded his head, ignoring the unasked question of his name.

_She'd just forget it, so why bother saying it._

The silver-haired jounin made his way back to Naruto's room to wait for the nurse.

"Damnit." Kakashi cursed as he opened the door.

OoO

Itachi followed the kunoichi's faint chakra to a tree just outside the main gate. Her bright pink hair was easy to spot in the dark contrast of dawn.

Effortlessly, Itachi jumped up on the same branch as her, landing lightly so that not even a leaf rustled with his added weight. Kisame followed suit, landing onto the branch only a few feet away from Itachi.. Each of their minds began processing the scene before them.

_Her chakra seems to be lower than earlier, and most, if not all, of her injuries appear to be gone. Did she heal them unconsciously or did she wake up? _Itachi wondered silently.

"Eh, Itachi…" Kisame began.

"Hn."

"I put her on this branch and all, but she was lying down where your feet are now standing. She woke up and moved herself."

_Interesting. Who would have thought she would have the strength to do that? She even healed herself in the process. This kunoichi might be more trouble then I originally though she would be. I am no longer surprised that she matched Kisame, however I wonder what else she knows._

The Uchiha continued looking over their hostage trying to determine when she would wake up again.

_Judging by the amount of chakra I felt before it began dropping, she will probably be out for at least two more hours. I would rather not be traveling when she wakes up, but then again, her reaction to waking up in the arms of an Akatsuki member would be amusing to see._

"Hn. Let's go."

Kisame walked over to where the pink-haired ninja was propped up against the tree and easily hoisted her weight off the tree.

_She's so light, no wonder she can move so fast. _

He draped her over his left shoulder, allowing her head to rest against his back. With his massive left hand, he grasped her calves to steady her body, then looked over to his partner.

With a nod of his head, both took off through the trees, their cloaks whipping behind them.

OoO

Tsunade sat behind her desk, resting her elbows on the rich wood and had her chin resting in her palms.

_Sakura, we are coming for you, please be okay. _The Hokage kept pleading.

She heard the door open as several jounin began filing in. Neji walked in solemnly, his bluish white eyes observing the Hokage as he faced her. Tenten and Lee stood to Neji's right, staring at their village's leader with anticipation and silent determination. Shino was as unreadable as ever, with most of his face covered behind his dark sunglasses and high collar. He was slouching against a wall, near Sasuke. Sasuke seemed in deep thought, but his gaze was intense. Kiba was the next to last one in, with Akamaru faithfully beside him. He seemed impatient as he dept gazing from the door to her and back again. Finally Shikamaru pushed the door shut and propped himself up against a wall and looked over to Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, Kiba told us about Naruto. Since he was with Sakura on a mission, yet Kiba only found him, I am assuming that Sakura was caught. So, that would make us the retrieval team, right?"

Tsunade usually admired Shikamaru's perception, however this time, she was deeply annoyed by it. Grudgingly she began nodding her head.

"Hai, this is who I would like to send? Will this do for you?"

Shikamaru looked to his right at the line of his fellow shinobi and gave a small frown.

"What about Naruto? He will surely want to come with us, he probably feels partially respons…"

"No." Tsunade interrupted sternly. "For certain reasons, Naruto will be staying behind. If you have no more questions, I'd like you to leave as soon as possible. Here are the mission specs." The blonde tossed two scrolls, one to Shikamaru and the other to Neji. "Since we are unsure of Sakura's immediate location, I want you to split up into two teams. Shikamaru, you lead one team to the Village Hidden in the Mist, that is where Sakura was last at. See if you can find any clues, but don't waste too much time, I doubt you will find anything given who we are dealing with. Neji…" She turned to face the Hyuga. "I want you to lead the other team to Stone. Sources say that _they _have a base there, though we aren't sure exactly where."

"Hokage-sama, that is fine, but you have yet to tell us who _they _are." Neji said pointedly.

Tsunade gave a soft sigh before softly answering the obvious question.

"Sakura was taken by Akatsuki." Tsunade said glumly.

OoO

"Oi, Itachi? Do you think we can make it back to the base before she wakes up? If we hurry I mean, she'd be a pain to travel with awake."

"Maybe. But if she does wake up, we can just knock her out again." Itachi replied.

Kisame gave a curt nod to his partner before facing the direction they were headed in. Part of him wanted the kunoichi to stay unconscious so he wouldn't have to deal with her, but then again, another part of his mind relished in the thought of having someone to antagonize.

_Plus, she'd probably be fun to "play" with…_

OoO

"I knew this would be troublesome," Shikamaru stated obviously annoyed with the identity of Sakura's abductors. "Akatsuki works in pairs, which team took her?"

"It was Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame. In all truth, I'm not even sure if Sakura was killed or is bein held hostage. That is why you are going to Mist Shikamaru, you need to confirm her existence. If you don't find her body there, then she is most likely being held as a hostage. Kiba, you and Akamaur are also going because you two would be able to pick up her scent. I also want Sasuke going with Shikamaru." Turning to a slightly tense Neji. "Neji, the rest of the group will accompany: Shino, Tenten, Hinata and Lee. You will try to meet up with them at one of their bases. As far as we know, there is one in every major village, but its too hard to tell. Stone is the only village that we know they have a residence, so you will go search there. Any further questions, or are you done wasting time?"

Shikamaru studied her intently as it finally hit him.

_I get it now! Why would Akatsuki hold Sakura as a hostage and why won't Tsunade let Naruto come? It is so obvious! They are trying to lure Naruto to them so they can get the Kyuubi. The others wouldn't realize this because I'm one of the few shinobi that actually know. Sasuke knows, no doubt he has realized it by now. Damnit, this couldn't get any more troublesome._

Shikamaru lazily put his hands behind his head as he strode out.

"Man, how troublesome…" he mumbled to no one in particular.

OoO

_Damnit, my head still hurts, but at least I'm mostly healed. Wait, I'm moving…no…I'm being carried…"_

Sakura kept her eyes shut and tried to work on covering up what little chakra she had regained.

_They can't know that I'm awake. If they find out, I'll be forced to run which would waste what small amount of chakra that I have. Thought I really would rather not be carried, especially by an Akatsuki member, and his shoulder is really bruising my stomach. Well, they would make me run with them, or they would just knock me out again. I need to know what is going on and where exactly in Stone we are going. If I can remember it alright, then I should be able to launch a surprise attack. I can't hope to take both of them on at the same time, so I'll have to take my chances on running. A shadow clone jutsu might help lead them away from me too._

"She's awake." A silky, yet absolute voice announced calmly.

_Damnit, how the hell did Itachi pick up on it so soon?_

"Hm." Kisame replied.

Sakura felt a massive hand grip around her neck. _Shit. _She immediately tried to raise her own hands to try and break out of his grip, but found her arms bound still, but now placed behind her back. _Damn it all! _Her eyes squeezed shut as she felt her weight being supported by the hand around her neck.

They had stopped and Kisame was holding her eye level, leaving her feet to dangle uselessly in the air.

Desperately, Sakura tried to think of something to do. _If I continue to be held like this, I'll black out which leaves me vulnerable to anything they decide to do. Plus I won't know where I am in Stone!_

_**Use the chakra you've regained and let's kick his ass!**_

_What about Itachi?_

_**What about him? We can kick his ass too!**_

_If he joins in with Kisame, we are goners._

_**No, we won't be, your escape plan can still work, break out of these chakra ropes and let's go!**_

_I don't think I have a choice…_

Kisame looked at the kunoichi thoughtfully. _She's going to fall unconscious again any second. What a weakling…what the hell!!_

Kisame's brown orbs widened as jade eyes suddenly opened and glared at him. With a small smirk on her mouth, she closed her eyes again, but only for a second as she focused her chakra on the ropes binding her.

Itachi turned his head slightly when he felt the kunoichi's chakra output increase. _What does she intend to do? There's no way she believes she can break free of Kisame's grip and take both of us on? What is she planning?_

Itachi's interest was piqued on what the kunoichi was plotting, however you would never guess it from the bored expression adorning his flawless face.

Sakura concentrated on the binds holding her as she gathered chakra at the points of her body where the rope was touching her.

_Wait…almost…and….NOW!_

Sakura released the chakra simultaneously, breaking through her binds as if they were mere tissue paper. Kisame's face contorted to a look of surprise when he felt his chakra ropes dissipate.

As soon as Sakura felt the binds give way, she focused her energy into her palm. A glance at Kisame's face told her that her opportunity was at hand, he wasn't fully focused on her. Her eyes flashed open once again, a hard cold jade burned into Kisame as she thrust her now free hand toward Kisame's neck.

_Shit, stupid kunoichi! _Kisame focused his own chakra to his feet as he saw her draw her arm back. In a second, he had dropped her and pushed back to avoid her hit.

"My, my. What is wrong little kunoichi? I still think we should have just killed her Itachi." Kisame smirked at the shinobi.

Sakura landed on her feet, but no sooner fell to one knee, her left palm flat on the branch helping to support her body.

_Not good. Breaking those ropes took more energy then I anticipated. I'm already tired and I haven't even done anything yet. I'm not sure my plan will work anymore, if I make a clone, I may not be able to run. A genjutsu won't work either, Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan will see through it and in all probability throw another illusion on me._

_**I must agree with running this time. I don't have enough strength to take on both of them. Hell, I don't think I have enough strength to take on Kisame.**_

_Then its settled._

Both Akatsuki members stared at Sakura while she tried to catch her breath. Sakura's pink hair fell over her shoulders as she lifter her head up, looking first to Kisame on her right, then darting her eyes over to glare at Itachi on her left. She was panting inbetween the two ninja.

_Forty feet. There is forty feet separating me from each of them. Itachi will be faster then Kisame, so I should run slightly to the right to make Itachi cover more distance._

_**What are you thinking?! Do you really believe that two extra strides will save you?!**_

_No, but unless you have a better idea, shut up._

_**Go down. On the forest floor you won't have to expel more chakra on trying to keep your balance like you do up here in the trees.**_

_Thank you, finally useful advice, I guess that plan will have to do, I'm not sure how much longer these two will wait for me to make a move though so, here we go!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, I feel like I haven't updated in forever since I had to do it early last week. But anyway, here it is, I hope you like it, please review, oh and if any of you have opinions on what "should" happen, feel free to express them. I'd love to integrate them into the story! Take care and ja ne!**

**Kia**

**Oh and I still don't own Naruto, but my fund has grown to three dollars and eighty-one cent!**

**Chapter 6**

Itachi's eyes began narrowing at the kunoichi.

_She is planning something. Amusing, she really thinks she has a chance._

Kisame glared at their captive, annoyed she somehow managed to escape his binds.

_God damn stupid kunoichi! If I kill her in a fight, Itachi can't get that upset, after all, what can he do once she's dead but accept the fact? I'm gonna take her out right now!!_

Sakura shifted her gaze over to Kisame as she felt his chakra begin to build up. She watched with cold, calculating eyes as the large man shifted his weight. Slowly, Sakura stood, then with a smirk, she pushed a little chakra to her feet and jumped towards Kisame.

_She's gonna be easy prey, jumping towards me, how convenient, wait, WHAT?! _

Kisame's expression of smugness reverted to surprise as he saw her jump short and drop to the forest floor. With only the slightest hesitation, he jumped down after her and gave chase.

Itachi stood alone on the tree branch and watched the two start their game of cat and mouse.

_This has gone on long enough. We are supposed to be back at the base by sunset._

His red eyes burned as he disappeared from the branch.

Seconds later he landed squarely in front of the pink haired shinobi.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock when she saw the unmistakable black cloak in front of her.

_Shit! _was Sakura's only thought.

OoO

The eight jounins were making their way out of the village together. Shikamaru and Neji were in the lead. Both looked unperturbed over their upcoming mission. Shikamaru's hands were clasped behind his head as Neji looked ahead with his hands deep in his pockets. Sasuke was close behind the two, trying to sort out his mixed feelings.

_Why did Sakura get sent on a mission anyway? She has always been weak, what made Tsunade think that Sakura had changed at all. I haven't seen her fight in years, but as Neji said, once a failure always a failure. And she failed miserable at fighting, we always had to protect her. But still, I keep telling myself I don't care, yet I'm truthfully worried. Who knows what the hell that sick bastard Itachi will do to her… _Sasuke sulked, deep in thought. _Come to think of it, I am still surprised that Tsunade trusts me to go on a mission. She still sent me with a group that can deal with me though. I won't be able to hide from Kiba and Akamaru with their strong sense of smell, and with Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu, he could easily control me. Tsunade even sent me away from where I could find my brother so I wouldn't "jeopardize the mission" with me revenge, according to Neji anyway. So, this would all add up to Tsunade testing me then, and all of them know it. Damn…_

"So, this is where we part, eh?" came Kiba's deep voice, shaking Sasuke out of his reverie.

Neji and Shikamaru stopped and turned towards each other. The respective jounin went to their team leader's side. With a curt nod, Neji turned around and darted off in one direction, starting with a brisk pace towards Stone. Shikamaru let out another sigh as he too, turned around and took to the forest, mumbling something about troublesome women.

Sasuke stared off in the direction of Neji's team, watching them, longing to be in their group. But he wasn't and he knew it. Slowly, he turned around and followed after Shikamaru, letting out one of his own sighs, realizing that this would be a waste of all of their time.

Kiba watched Sasuke carefully, ready to go after the Uchiha if he dared to follow Neji. Pleased when Sasuke followed Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru brought up the rear, their gaze intent on their questionable comrade.

OoO

_I have no where to go…_

_**UP!!**_

Sakura pushed more chakra to her feet as she pushed off the ground for the trees, her chakra enhancing the distance. But before she could reach the branch, a flicker of light caught her eye.

_Damn, kunai!_

She turned to face the oncoming weapons, reaching to her thigh, she felt for her pouch containing her own weapons.

_It's gone?! They must have taken it before we left, how couldn't I have noticed sooner?!_

Turning back to face the tree, she swung her feet towards the tree first, hitting the junction of the trunk and underside of a large branch and pushed off, barely dodging the kunai. As she began closing in on the ground again, she did a small flip, landing her feet first, but it wasn't nearly as graceful as usual as her knee came down to the ground hard to help her regain her balance.

She brushed the pain aside and jumped to her feet, only to come face to face with none other than Uchiha Itachi.

Sakura staggered back a step as she nearly ran into the rogue ninja. Quickly covering her surprise with cold stone eyes, Sakura returned his stare, but she had made a costly mistake, and by the time she realized it, she was too late.

Sakura's jade eyes caught the Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan, and as the pinwheels began spinning, a feeling of dread began to fill the kunoichi.

OoO

"Oi, Neji-san, don't you think we could slow it down a bit? What's the point of reaching their base before them if we are too tired to put up a decent fight?" Tenten questioned.

"Don't you feel it Tenten?" Lee inquired exuberantly. "Embrace the power of youth, and welcome the burning in your legs! Let all of our youth explode and allow us to save Sakura-chan!"

Tenten rolled her eyes at the taijutsu master.

_Some things never change._

Shino was the last in line. He began lifting a hand to his face as a bug materialized on the tip of his index finger. The odd twenty-year-old clad in a grayish white coat studied the bug, then nodded his head before the insect flew away.

"My bugs tell me that there is a river up ahead. We should take advantage of it, I don't think there will be any more for a while." He informed them in a raspy voice.

Neji finally turned to look at Shino. Through impassive eyes, Neji silently acquiesced by giving a quick nod towards the group.

"N-Neji-kun, I-I'm sorry that S-Sakura-chan was taken. I'm s-sure she's alright?"

Neji looked over to his cousin impassively.

_Damnit, I now know I'm not fooling her. It's expected for her to see how worried I am, just so long as the Uchiha never finds out, I could care less. I'm glad that Hokage-sama didn't send him with me, I may have "accidentally" killed him._

"There is no need to concern yourself Hinata. I'm quite sure that Sakura is fine, I'm not worried, but I would like to get to them before they reach their base. Fighting off two Akatsuki members will be enough to deal with, I would rather not add in the rest of the organization." He replied coolly.

"H-Hai." Hinata responded shyly.

_You may fool the others my brother, but you will never fool me. If only Sakura knew what you felt for her…_

"Over there." Shino commented, breaking the silence and pointing over to their right.

The team dropped to the forest floor and walked over to the river, enjoying the last break they would see in a long while to come.

OoO

Sakura felt hazy as she slowly opened her eyes.

"What…"

In an instant Sakura sat up, her bubble gum colored hair swayed with her sudden movement. Her eyes were searching as her entire body went on alert.

She began trying to soothe the recently acquired headache, achieved by sitting up to quick. As soon as she felt it subside, she began standing. She swayed a little, but steadied herself and began looking around herself.

_Kami-sama help me, it's burning up here. E-Everything is red…the sky the ground, everything is blood red!!_

A second later, Sakura heard a sound. Swiftly, she reached to her thigh for a kunai as she turned on her heel to find the source of the noise.

_Damnit, I don't have anything, those bastards took all my ninja supplies._

She turned around again, but this time she came to face Uchiha Itachi glaring at her with those cold steady eyes.

_Shit, if I had to be put in some other god-forsaken place, then why did this asshole have to be here to? I don't even know where here is! Damnit, and since I don't have any shuriken or kunai to fight with, I'll have to rely fully on my ninjutsu and taijutsu._

But as soon as Sakura tried to reach for her chakra she found a strong barrier.

_What the hell! I can't use me chakra! I don't have any chakra! Oh, Kami, I'm a sitting duck to him!_

But then Sakura felt herself consumed within another emotion, not fear of the murderer before her, or confusion as to where she was, but anger. The rage filled her as she glared at the Uchiha.

_What the hell is going on?! I want to know now! Damnit!!_

Sakura charged forward, deciding to rely on her taijutsu. But as she neared, she saw the Uchiha disappear into the blood red sky.

"Where the hell are you?! Come out of hiding you coward so I can show you how a true Konoha shinobi can fight!" Sakura bellowed from where she was standing.

The stillness of the area they were currently in sent a chill up her spine as she looked around for the Uchiha that was lurking silently nearby.

Briefly, Sakura felt a small prick on her neck. She closed her eyes for a second to absorb the sudden pain, then as she reopened her jade orbs to face whoever hit her on the neck, she felt herself suddenly constricted, bound to a wide pole in a wide open field.

Her eyes widened in surprise at her new predicament. She frantically looked around for something, anything. The ground and sky were still red, but now the pinwheel of the Mangekyo Sharingan began appearing all around her up in the sky.

"What the hell is going on?!" Sakura shouted out to the barren land. The kunoichi looked around desperately to find that she was stranded, all alone, tied to a damn pole without any chakra or hope to escape. She had not feared the prospect of loneliness in a long time, yet she suddenly felt herself wishing that somebody else was with her, anybody.

Suddenly, Uchiha, Itachi materialized before her…her wish had been granted and she immediately regretted ever asking for company.

_Damn, how ironic. _She thought sarcastically

"Hatake Kakashi was your sensei right?" It was more of a statement then a question, as Itachi watched the pink haired teen before him. "He didn't fare to well against this torture; I wonder how long you can last."

Sakura's hate filled stare twisted as pain seared through her body as Itachi's sword went through her abdomen. She tried to writhe free of her binds, but to no avail. She twisted and turned, but her blood continued to be spilt as her binds began chaffing her skin, creating more lesions on her body.

_Focus Sakura! Focus! Push the pain out, just like Tsunade taught you!_

_**How the hell are you going to ignore that?! It's killing me, so I can only imagine what it is doing to you!**_

_Shut up, I won't die here! This is not where I will give up! I will escape! I'm not finished with my life yet!_

Sakura let out a painful scream as she felt the blade slice through her for the thirteenth time. She counted five of the Uchiha's around her, all with their blade aimed at various parts of her body.

_Damnit, I'm losing too much blood…why can't I use my chakra!?_

_**That's a good point, why can't we use our chakra?**_

_The only reasons I can think of would be if…well obviously if I didn't have any left._

_**We are low, not out. What else?**_

_Hm…if we were in a place that cancels out chakra, or if my chakra points were hit, like Neji-san's style. That would stop the flow of chakra in my body._

_**The location is a possibility, but we know what it feels like to have our chakra points hit from our countless training sessions with Neji-san, this isn't it. Any other ideas?**_

_No, I don't think so…damnit this hurts._

Sakura was now covered in her own blood, the moistness soaking through her clothes as she continued contemplating with her inner self.

_Wait! Remember a long time ago, we got in that fight with the Sand shinobi? We got caught in their genjutsu; we couldn't use out chakra there either._

_**It took us a while to break out of it.**_

_Exactly! A genjutsu, it's not real!_

_**Damnit, then that means that we are in Uchiha Itachi's genjutsu!! CHA! We now know exactly what we are up against.**_

_But I can't take this abuse much longer._

_**Okay so how do we escape and kick his ass…in the real world I mean, not his genjutsu.**_

_We are tied to a freakin' pole, what the hell can we do? This is his world, his rules, besides, the Mangekyo Sharingan is known for its proficiency at genjutsu. In short, we are his prisoners and he will torture us until we either die or fall unconscious-where we will probably just kill us anyway. There really is no hope is there?_

_**What the hell, you are giving up already!! I'll be damned before we quit this soon! Don't forget who you are either! We won't fall to him that easily! Now, focus really hard. That's how we broke out of the Sand shinobi's genjutsu and that's how we are going to get out of this one!**_

_I'm willing to try, but this is Uchiha Itachi, don't forget that. _

_**I couldn't care less if he was Kami-sama, we will get out of this hell.**_

_Let's give it a go then._

Sakura could see the profuse amount of blood on the ground around her. A deeper scarlet on an already red landscape.

_That's my blood!_

_**Focus!**_

Sakura closed her eyes and began trying to mold her chakra. She kept only one thought through her mind, 'It isn't real.' A simple chant that she began to radiate energy off of.

_Relax, feel through the barrier. Once we get through that, we will have all of our chakra and can break this genjutsu._

Sakura steeled her body to the katana's inflictions and slowly began breathing in and out. A prick in her side foretold of another stab wound, but Sakura continued going into her meditative state.

_I will get through this! My journey doesn't end here! It will end when I want it too, not when some bastard wants to end it!_

Slowly, she began feeling the barrier blocking her chakra paths weaken as some of the energy escaped and raced through her veins.

_I'm going to win! I am a Konoha shinobi and I refuse to fail! _

Determined, Sakura began focusing herself fully on the small barrier.

_Almost, I'm almost through...just about there..._

She felt a droplet of blood slowly run from a cut under her eye down her cheek. It collected weight and finally allowed gravity to pull it from her body. The scarlet liquid hit the ground soundlessly as Sakura pushed her eyes open and the red world and hordes of Itachi Uchiha fell away to reveal the forest she had been in earlier

And within a second, the barrier faltered as her mind overpowered it.

Sakura gasped as she felt the forest ground beneath her. The scarlet world she was in was gone, and with massive pain, her mind was thrusted back into the forest where she found herself on the ground, cramping and pain stabbing through every known muscle.

Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously as he felt her break out of the genjutsu.

_She released herself from my illusion. _A malicious glint became evident in his red eyes. _Nobody has escaped my genjutsu before._

He was surprised that she managed to escape it, and was even more astounded that the kunoichi was conscious.

Sakura found that her body was incredibly depleted as she lie silently, attempting to regain her bearings, face down on the forest floor in a fetal position with her throat feeling painfully hoarse

_I must have been screaming here as well._

_**Not surprising, Kami knows how many times we were stabbed by that Uchiha bastard!**_

She tried to open her eyes, but found the task unbearable. She barely opened them to slits to see the green foliage and broken twigs of the trees surrounding them.

_We did it for sure, we are free… _was Sakura's last thought as darkness enveloped her and a small smirk of victory graced her weary face.

OoO

"Alright, let's take a break."

Shikamaru had been going at a decent pace for the last four hours and decided that they needed a rest. Their mission depended on analysis of the situation, not how quick they could complete it.

_Nothing will change within a couple hours, I need all of them in their best condition. Their perception must be in depth and thorough. Making sure they aren't tired is the best way for me to ensure that._

The other three (Sasuke, Kiba and Akamaru) landed behind their team leader. Kiba didn't seem bothered at all by the prospect of resting, however Sasuke was a little more resistant to the idea.

"We haven't gone nearly far enough to be tired. We should push on and get this over with so we can go help the other team. The more time we waste, the longer the others will have to hold of Akatsuki before we reach them."

"Their mission isn't our business Sasuke. We will carry out our mission to the utmost of our ability, which means we need to be unhindered by anything such as tiredness. If something like that effects us then we won't be as keen to pick up on any traces they may have left behind."

_I know Sasuke, none of us are truly tired, but I can't risk it. This is the only way for me to know that all of will be up to par._

"They're elite S-class criminals, do you really think they would leave any clues behind?!"

"That is why you're here Uchiha. Nobody would be able to think of a slip up Itachi could make but you. So you need to start thinking about something that you would forget to 'clean up' and that is where we will begin our search." Shikamaru replied annoyed.

Sasuke knew his opinion didn't matter, and he knew that no matter what he said, they wouldn't listen, and that is what aggravated him more than anything. Yet, he also knew that his future in Konoha depended on him gaining the trust of his fellow shinobi. So grudgingly, Sasuke shut his mouth and sat down near a tree to wait for the others to finish their unnecessary break.


	7. Chapter 7

OMG! I am soooooo sorry!! My computer just came back a couple days ago so I haven't been able to update! My deepest apologies and I truly hope you can forgive me! Feel the love! ducks flying computer mice Arigato for reading this though! I love you all! I'll tell you what, to make up for it, I'll have the next chapter posted by hopefully tomorrow, but Tuesday at the latest, I swear it!

Chpater 7

Itachi sped through the trees with a slight edge of anger. They had continued on their way back to base, but he was still having issues grasping the fact that the kunoichi escaped his genjutsu. It seemingly bothered him to no end.

Kisame kept pace with Itachi, holding the girl bridle style so he could keep a better eye on her. He was still oblivious to the kunoichi's earlier feat. Itachi felt his genjutsu fail, but it still left her unconscious, so the missing nin of the Mist couldn't have possible figured out what occurred.

For once, Itachi found himself glad to be back, so he could rid himself of the troublesome kunoichi.

_I won't have to deal with her anymore. Now the kunoichi can be Deidara's problem. _

The two Akatsuki members saw their base up ahead. It was actually Deidara's home, which later converted into their base. The large castle-like structure was tucked back up in the mountains of Stone.

"Finally, we're back. I'm sick of carrying this little brat. She can be someone else's problem now." Kisame stated happily.

"Hn." Itachi didn't let on to his own annoyance of the pink-haired girl as he replied.

"What do you think the others will think of her, eh Itachi? I still think she'd be fun to play with."

"I don't care what the others think. Just be sure she doesn't die before we have the Kyuubi." Itachi answered.

"Yeah, yeah, she won't die. Besides, a corpse isn't near as entertaining as she is."

The two landed softly in the opening surrounding the large gray castle. Flowers surrounded the castle, climbing up the walls in an array of colors that ranged from a dark royal purple to a bright ember red and even to a pure white. The small flowers made the castle despicable to Itachi, yet they made the place less obvious as an Akatsuki base.

Kisame walked forward boldly and thundered into the house.

"Eh, Sasori, Deidara, get your sorry asses down here and see out new bait for the Kyuubi!"

Kisame had felt their chakra signature earlier, so he knew they were in there.

Sasori was the first to walk out. He was a puppet master, calm and collected like Itachi, with cold calculating blue eyes. With an air of boredom, Sasori looked over to Kisame, his short blood red hair shining in the dim light.

"Who did you capture and why would that lure the nine-tailed-fox container?" He asked through half-lidded eyes that further pointed out his boredom to the topic.

Kisame was unfazed by the puppet master's usual behavior as he began his explanation.

"Konoha sent two shinobi to protect some guy named Kudan Hizaru-the one that Leader sent Itachi and I to go kill. It just so happened that the Kyuubi and this little kunoichi were the ones sent to protect him." Kisame allowed her legs to fall to the ground as he held her up by the back of her shirt with one hand. He lifted her body up further with his arm as one would show off a trophy of sorts. "Anyway, the Kyuubi got away thanks to some transportation jutsu she used, but she blacked out afterwards. So figurin' how she risked her life to save his, he will probable come after her."

"How did she reach the Kyuubi in time to transport him? I doubt that she is faster than you Itachi." Sasori looked over to Itachi.

Itachi didn't feel obligated to answer, however the idea of other Akatsuki members ragging on Kisame for being outdone by a stupid Konoha shinobi seemed rather amusing to him.

"I had already knocked out the Kyuubi and left Kisame to deal with her while I went to complete Leader's original mission. She got away from Kisame to the Kyuubi before I could get back to stop her."

Sasori lifted an eyebrow at the new information, but before he could proceed to question further, the blond ninja Deidara walked out.

"What the hell is up with you? You are way to loud yeah." He stopped when he saw the pink-haired girl hanging limply from Kisame's outstretched hand. "And who is that yeah?"

Kisame repeated the story to Deidara, conveniatly leaving out the part about being outsmarted by her.

"Well, if we need to keep her alive, I don't think holding her like that is a good start yeah." Deidara concluded.

"I must agree." Sasori added.

"Well, then ya'll deal with her, I don't give a damn." He carelessly tossed her body to Deidara. "I'm gonna go get a drink, keep an eye on her, she's tricky."

Deidara reached out with both arms to catch the girl. As she fell into his arms he bent his knees slightly to help absorb her impact so the jolt wouldn't wake her up and aggravate the injuries he was sure she had.

"Eh, what's her name yeah?" Deidara asked curiously. He glanced over at Itachi, but the Uchiha had already begun walking away, obviously ignoring the question. "Oi, fish boy! Before you get wasted, what's her name?"

"Don't call me that you son of a bitch, and what do you want now!" Kisame roared.

"Her name yeah, what is it?"

"How the hell am I suppose to know? She never told us, not that we asked either."

Sasori slowly exhaled while examining the girl.

_She looks like hell. Physically, she must have fought Kisame, Itachi isn't this obvious. He is more subtle and precise. She also seems to be completely drained of chakra, which Samehada could have done, but since Kisame didn't boast about that, I am guessing that Itachi's illusion put her in a world of hell. But her chakra appears to be building back up. Undoubtedly, she will wake soon, we should put her in a holding cell, unless one of them wants to deal with her, which is a possibility._

"Come on Deidara. She'll wake up soon enough, we should lock her up before she does."

The blond shinobi nodded as he followed Sasori back into the house.

OoO

"Finally! I thought we'd never make it to the Village Hidden in the Mist! It sure as hell took long enough!" Kiba was excited as they approached the main entrance of the village.

"Remember out mission. Sasuke, have you thought of anything yet?" Shikamaru voiced.

"No." Sasuke spat back annoyed. "Have you?" he sarcastically added.

"Yes, actually. I thought you were smart, but it seems that you are just going to be troublesome.

Sasuke stared at Shikamaru first in surprise that he had thought of a starting for their search, but then his eyes narrowed at the insult towards him.

"Well, where do we start then?" Kiba prompted, oblivious to the tense atmosphere between the two shinobi in front of him.

Shikamaru let out a sigh before mumbling something about troublesome and stupid shinobi, then answered the question Kiba directed at him.

"Think about what we know. It was Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigake Kisame that took her right? As Sasuke so obviously pointed out earlier, Itachi most likely won't slip up and leave a clue, however that doesn't mean his partner won't. Kisame is from this village if I remember correctly. According to his file, he uses a large sword-Samehada which means something along the lines of shark skin-but that isn't important right now. His record also mentions that he has a drinking problem." Shikamaru looked up to the two boys to see if either of them had caught on.

_Damn, how troublesome. I practically give them the answer and they are too stupid to realize it. I guess I'm going to have to spell it out to them. Maybe I would prefer working with women, they are at least smarter than these dimwits-or at least Sakura was._

"So we should go to the village's bar and try to dig up information there using Kisame's description." Shikamaru finished.

"Why go through the trouble of describing that sorry bastard when we can just use his name?" Kiba asked.

"Because even though I am pretty sure he would have gone to find himself some sake, I am confident that he wouldn't tell anyone his name. Mist was his previous home remember, if he used his name, he would have risked alerting the people. Even non-shinobi in Konoha know about people like Itachi and Kisame if their name was used, however only a few of them really know what they look like."

"Fine. Lets just get this over with." Sasuke began walking off toward the main entrance.

Kiba's feral grin lit up his face as he began to follow with an almost full grown Akamaru beside him. Shikamaru brought up the rear as they began their search.

OoO

"Damn. Now where am I?" Sakura began gaining consciousness as she attempted to open her eyes.

She found herself chained to a wall in a stone cell. The cold steel around her wrists and ankles began chaffing her skin as she tried to break free.

_Shit. I don't have enough chakra to break these binds yet, and I'm hungry. I wonder how long it has been since I last ate? Akatsuki took me prisoner so this must be their base. I wonder how many of those bastards are here, there seems to be some kind of barrier around this cell, I can't sense anything. Maybe this cell is why I feel so drained of chakra as well._

Sakura's eyes bolted open as she heard the loud scraping of the stone door opening. She fixed her cold jade eyes on the door expectantly as a blond haired man walked in.

He was carrying a small tray of food and was wearing the signature Akatsuki attire of the black cloak and red clouds. He was built really refined, with high cheekbones and an average size frame. His hair was pulled up in a ponytail with a large dramatic piece escaping the hair band to cascade down the left side of his face, covering half of his face, so only one blue eye was visible.

"Oi kunoichi. Hungry yeah?"

"And why would you bring me food?" Sakura questioned cautiously. She wanted to eat, but she wasn't sure if it was drugged and at the moment she didn't have enough chakra to test it.

"You can't answer my question with another question yeah! And I brought you food to eat baka, what else would you do with food?" Deidara replied.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Deidara, missing nin of Stone and core member of Akatsuki, not that that really matters. Now, are you hungry or not?" Deidara's patience was wearing thin.

"So you're finally awake!" Kisame walked in, his pale blue skin stuck out in the dark cell as his small sharp triangular teeth gleamed in whatever dim light there was. "Aren't you hungry little girl?"

At the provocation of being called a 'little girl,' Sakura didn't hesitate to bite back.

"I have a name you sorry bastard! Quit calling me kunoichi and never call me little, I'm nineteen damnit!"

"Oh, so the kunoichi does have a name, well, what is it?" Kisame asked smugly.

"I am Haruno Sakura. Don't forget it!" Sakura felt a little stupid for that second part.

"_Don't forget it,' that is what Naruto always use to say. Guess he rubbed off on me a little._

"Hmm…Haruno….Haruno….the medic nin of Konoha right?" A calm voice asked.

Sakura looked over towards the door where another Akatsuki member made his presence known. His blue eyes studied her. He had short red hair that looked so tousled, Sakura seriously doubted that he knew what a comb was.

"And just who the hell are you now?" Sakura was becoming greatly annoyed. She felt like some sort of zoo animal, tied up for the amusement of others as she stared down the intruders of her cage.

"I am Sasori." He replied as if it were the most obvious thing.

_Which it is obvious! _Her mind reminded her. _I should have recognized Deidara, but I guess I was still not thinking clearly. But Sasori sticks out like a sore thumb. Yet, playing stupid may work to my advantage, if they are unsure as to how much I know, then they will be less likely to predict me. _

_Let's see what do we already know. Deidara is an expert with exploding jutsus, using clay as his most common form. It is believed that his left eye is actually a scope that allows him long range observation. Sasori is a puppet jutsu master, like Kankura _(A/N: Kankuro is the guy with Gaara and Temari for those of you who have forgotten). _He is also a specialist with poisons and is deadly accurate. I already have an interesting audience, I wonder what trick I should perform for them first. _She thought sarcastically.

"I'm quite sure you already knew that though." Sasori continued as he looked at the kunoichi through bored eyes. "We really aren't quite as stupid as you would like to believe we are, nor are we as naïve as you hope we are." He added thoughtfully.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the puppet ninja.

_Shit, they are already on to me, or maybe, just he is. Kisame is too stupid to know anything, and if memory serves, Deidara's file said that he wasn't too perceptive either. However, Itachi and Sasori are just as smart as Shikamaru is and probable stronger than anybody I know. I really am in deep._

"A medic nin, eh? I thought that medic nins weren't good at fighting, but she isn't that bad." Kisame mused.

"Well, it didn't take much to kick your ass you stupid fish." Sakura bit back, instantly regretting insulting one of her captures.

"What was that _little kunoichi_?" Kisame threatened while bringing his hand up to Samehada.

"Quit being so childish. If she is dead then she is useless, just ignore her. We already got what we came for." Sasori intervened.

"Got what you came for?" Sakura asked quietly, unsure of what she had said that was so significant.

Deidara smiled at her thoughtful face, _she had no idea what we wanted, and it has her worried, how amusing._

The three turned around and began walking out. Then Deidara stopped, seemingly remembering that he had a tray of food in his hands.

"Since you never said you were hungry, I guess I have to assume you're not. Bye kunoichi." Deidara then continued out, taking the food with him as the door shut loudly, leaving Sakura in darkness all alone, examining every word exchanged, looking for any information given out that shouldn't have.

_The only information I gave out was my name. Sasori may know about my past, but could my name been their only objective? Why would all three of them come in here for that small piece of information, I would have told them if they asked. Or was my name not the only objective? What if I am missing something? Damn them! Damn them all to hell! And I am still hungry!_

OoO

"Neji-san, how do you know that they retreated to their base in Stone? I thought they had bases located in most every village. They could be in any one of them couldn't they?"

"Hai, they could Lee, but this is the only one we are sure about. Even in they aren't there, perhaps there will be a clue to other base locations or maybe other Akatsuki members will be there."

"We are close to Stone Country." Shino pronounced to them.

"H-Hai, w-where should we s-start N-Neji-kun?"

"We should split up. We will be able to cover more ground that way. If we divide Stone up, we might be able to interrogate most of the villager's before nightfall tomorrow. We can all meet back here, tomorrow at night fall, no matter what." Neji threw a kunai into the ground to exenterate his point. "Do not engage in any unnecessary fights. Shino, can you spare four insects?"

"I already have. If any of you go missing, I will easily be able to track you."

"Good, then let's go."

The five ninjas dispersed and began their search for information on the Akatsuki.

OoO

Sakura's mind felt hazy from the lack of suitable sleep and the hunger that never ceased to leave her alone. Her need for food began in the bottom of her stomach, but spread as a dull pain, now torturing every part of her.

She had no idea how long she had been in that cell. Without a window or clock to tell time, the seconds seemed to drag slowly by.

"How long will they keep me here? I can't be that useful to that they would want me alive." Sakura whispered hoarsely to herself. She heard the heavy creaking of the stone door. Despite her lack of energy, Sakura somehow managed to look up at the door, and maintained the coldest glare she could manage.

"Oi, sorry kunoichi, I guess nobody fed you while I was gone yeah."

"Sakura Haruno." Sakura insisted, but her voice sounded weak to her.

"Hmm. Whatever, _Sakura-san _you haven't eaten in a couple of weeks, come on. You'll die within the week if I don't get something in you, then I'll have to deal with Leader, so up you go."

Sakura felt his arm go around her waist as the steel that had been holding her for so long were loosened.

_My arms feel like lead. Why do I feel so weak? Deidara said I haven't eaten in a couple weeks, but I have gone for three weeks without food and have not felt this helpless. Does it have to do with this room? I still haven't seemed to regain any of my chakra, that had to be what is draining me so badly._

As soon as her arms and legs were released from the chains on the wall, Sakura slumped over Deidara's shoulder.

Deidara bent over a little and placed her feet on the cement, wrapping one of his arms around her waist as he put her arm around his neck.

Sakura felt relieved to finally be free of the chains, and in that hope she found some strength. She looked over to Deidara as he was arranging her arm on his neck and trying to help her walk, but this seemed more like an insult to her than assistance.

Sakura pushed away from him and stood unsteadily on her feet. Deidara just stared at her, surprised she could muster enough strength inside the small cell.

_I am a Konoha shinobi, I will not be babied and treated like some weak child! _Her mind screamed.

Deidara watched her for a second, waiting for her legs to give out, before shrugging his shoulders.

"Come now kunoichi, lets head off to eat."

Deidara began walking out the door, then turned to motion to her to follow.

_This could be a trap. _She hesitated.

_**Well, unless you have a better idea, I suggest that we follow.**_

_But what are we going to do if he is setting us up?_

_**We will worry about that if it happens! For now, follow him, anywhere is better than here!**_

Sakura had to agree with that, so she straightened herself as she walked outside of the holding cell. As soon as she made it past the cell door she felt better. Deidara was standing there watching her with an amused smile on his face.

"You must be hungry, yeah. The kitchen is this way." He turned his back to her and began walking, listening intently for either her to follow him or attack him.

_Kisame said she was tricky, so I need to be ready if she decides to go on the offensive. I'm taking a pretty good risk, but I don't think she can fight when she is this weak. Plus if we get her even slightly on our side, she will be easier to deal with. Besides, she doesn't seem that smart or strong compared to Sasori or Itachi, but then again, I doubt anybody is truly smart or strong compared to them._

Deidara was a little relieved to hear her soft footsteps behind him.

_She used to be with the ANBU according to Sasori, and judging by how quietly she treads, I don't doubt that she was pretty good at assassination missions._

"So Sakura-san, what would you like to eat?" He asked cheerfully.

At that point, she really couldn't care what she was fed, she just needed something to sustain her body.

_Bread would be the best option, it is harder for them to poison and more filling._

_**Sasori is a poison expert baka! Do you think a slice of bread will stand in his way?**_

_No, but it would be safer than liquidy thinks like soup and ramen!_

_**Besides, Deidara just said that their Leader didn't want us dead, so why go through the trouble of using poison. They could have killed us easily whenever they wanted to these last couple of weeks, now is no different.**_

_Good point. _

Whatever is fine, Deidara-san, I think I could eat just about anything right now." Sakura remarked stoically as her left arm crossed over her grumbling stomach unconsciously.

"Well, that's good news, 'cause I'm not too good a cook yeah." Deidara turned to smile at her.

"Eh, are you cooking lunch Deidara?" The boisterous Kisame yelled from around the corner.

"Get your own damn food, yeah!" Deidara yelled back. He continued to the kitchen while mumbling about Kisame being a lazy ass.

"You shouldn't be so harsh Deidara."

Sakura whipped around to find the red-haired Sasori standing behind her.

"Where the hell did you…" Sakura began, she hadn't even felt his chakra, yet he was so close to her.

"Why does a such a little kunoichi like you have such a vulgar vocabulary?" He inquired with the same aloofness that he seemed to always keep.

_Damn those two, Itachi and Sasori. They are always so calm and collected. Well, Sasori just always seems bored with everything and completely uninterested. Itachi just seems to always be annoyed with everyone._

"My name is Sakura Haruno, not _little kunoichi_." She insisted again.

_Are they that stupid are just enjoy pissing me off?_

"Hmm, very well, Sakura-san. Interesting name." But Sasori's mind began working immediately.

_I know that name. But is she really __**the **__Sakura Haruno trained by Kakashi and Tsunade? I didn't know we had such a shinobi on our hands to deal with, she might be troublesome after all. I guess I'll have to keep a closer watch on her if she is who I think she is. No doubt the others will figure that out soon enough._

"Sasori-sama, why do I have to be nice to Kisame, it is much more amusing watching him get upset, and his drinking problem already qualifies him as lazy." Deidara defended himself.

_Deidara called him Sasori-_sama. _Does he actually respect his partner. I thought they all just hated each other and were working together only to get done what they deem necessary. _Sakura wondered.

_**If you think about it though, Itachi and Kisame were even cordial to each other. Not buddy-buddy, but if any Akatsuki member was ever like that, much less an Uchiha, something would seriously be wrong.**_

_I wonder if the other teams get along as well as these two teams?_

_**There are two more chakra signatures in this place, they are faint, but I think that is just them being sloppy in covering it up.**_

_I wonder who it is?_

"Hey, Sakura-san, you can go sit down, the others will be down here sooner or later yeah." Once again Deidara flashed her an easy-going smile.

"Hai." Sakura walked through the corridor and immediately began assessing the room for escape routes and exits. Cautiously, she sat down at the end of the table, facing the currently preoccupied Deidara.

_This will probably be the best seat for me. Nobody will be able to sit behind me, so I can keep a watch on everyone, furthermore, if someone sits next to me, it will be on my left. So if they try to grab me or I go to attack, my right arm will be free of any obstacles and since it is stronger, it can do more damage._

Sasori watched her moves critically, he knew she was in her ANBU mindset, pulling up different ideas of the easiest way to escape, or more appropriately, the best place to sit so as to station herself in the most advantageous situation for her. He had to admit, her choice was fairly well planned. He knew exactly why she picked that spot, it would be his choice in her situation as well.

Then Sasori's cerulean eyes darted out to his side as he felt two more members walk up.

"Damn you Kakuzu, you are one sorry bastard!"

"Shut up Hidan, you're the dumbass!"

"I ought to rip you apart you son of a bitch!"

"I'd like to see you try. I'd send you straight to hell you…"

Their arguing ceased as Itachi walked in and sent them both death glares. Both men shut up with the exception of a few mumbling and sat down on opposite ends of the table-as far away from each other as possible.

Sakura was a little surprised at the outburst, but kept a trained face as she studied the newcomers.

Kakuzu wore a mask much like Kakashi's, covering the lower part of his face, clipping onto a hood that hid his hair. The only part of his face that Sakura could see were his pupilless light blue eyes contrasted by his dark skin.

Hidan had light faded blond hair that was slicked back to the nape of his neck. He was glaring over at Kakuzo with electric blue eyes. Sakura noticed that he, unlike the other members, had his cloak unbuttoned halfway, revealing his bare chest and a small pendant on a chain was clearly visible.

_Hmm, guess I spoke to soon on the whole getting along idea. These two obviously despise each other. I need to remember that, I might be able to work it to my advantage._

"Oi, kunoichi, feeling better?"

Sakura looked over to see the pale blue face of Kisame.

"Hai." She answered absently. "What is it about that cell? It is like it drained me of all my energy and chakra."

"Yeah, it is a unique piece of work isn't it? Doubt you can actually see it as something other than a pian, but Deidara and Sasori made it a while back. It is really useful, especially for troublesome kunoichi's that tend to be tricky, eh?" He joked lightly.

Sakura didn't smile, or reassert her name wasn't _kunoichi_. It truly didn't matter to her what they caller her. It was just another mindless distraction she had put up.

_Learn about them…_

…_**then we can use what we learn to kick their sorry asses!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, here ya go! I'm planning on doing my next update Monday! Of course that is only planning, I'm not even sure I'll be in town! But I promise to do it next week! Take care and Arigato for reading! OH! And I know I keep forgetting and all, but I really don't own Naruto, but one day I will!!**

Chapter 8

"Damnit there is _nothing_ here!" Sasuke was fed up with looking for nonexistent clues to the Akatsuki.

"Shut up Sasuke, we have learned information on them, you were just complaining too much to listen." Shikamaru pointed out.

"Hey Shikamaru, can I shut him up? Akamaru and I haven't done anything fun in a while." Kiba offered with a feral grin plastered on his face.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed towards Kiba. "Back off, or before you get hurt dog boy."

Kiba's face darkened into a scowl as Akamaru took on a threatening stance, displaying his large sharp teeth while a low growl was emitted from him.

"All of you knock it off! I can't concentrate! If you want to go kill each other, fine, just wait until after the mission. Jeez, so troublesome."

_Damnit, Sakura, where are you? You would be a hell of a lot more help then these idiots. _Shikamaru thought amusingly. _Okay, down to business, if she was conscious she would have left us a clue. Where would you leave a clue Sakura? It would have to be somewhere that only you and I would think of, since you couldn't risk Akatsuki finding it. According to Naruto, you fought them outside the main gate, as if the ground wasn't enough indication that you were fighting here._

He looked around the area in deep thought. The other three stood there quietly fuming at the other's stupidity, but not daring to bother Shikamaru while he was thinking.

"Sasuke, if you were Itachi, where would you put a hostage while you left to take care of something?"

"Why does that matter?" Sasuke asked.

"Because baka, their original mission was to kill Kudan Hizaru, which Naruto and Sakura were sent to protect. Naruto said that Sakura told Hizaru to run while they dealt with Akatsuki. Leading to the question, where would they put her while they went to deal with Kudan?" Shikamaru was exasperated by Sasuke's pointless questions that were only serving to waste time.

"if I had a partner, I would just make them watch the hostage while I dealt with Kudan. But that is what I would do, no telling what that sick bastard would do." 

"Okay, so if he did that, then Kisame was left to watch her…but according to the bartender a large pale blue man came into their bar the other wearing a black coat with red clouds. So Kisame left his post to go to the bar. So what would he do with her?" Shikamaru looked up to Kiba. "Kiba, if I told you to watch a hostage until I got back, but you needed to leave for something, what would you do with the hostage?"

"Hmm. Well, I wouldn't bring them with me, they would just create a ruckus. I'd probably knock 'em out then tie them up. If I used chakra ropes, they wouldn't be able to escape without me knowing. I'd also put them up in a tree or cave, so someone walking by randomly wouldn't see them. But then…"

Shikamaru cut him off while turning to Kiba's companion. "Akamaru, sniff over all the trees and tell me if any of them have Sakura's scent. If there is more then one, tell me which tree has her scent strongest, that should dictate the tree she was in the longest if Kiba's theory is true. Can you do that?"

Akamaru gave a happy bark at Shikamaru's orders and immediately set to work. Kiba followed suit, leaving Sasuke standing alone with nothing to do but pester Shikamaru.

"How is what we would do relevant to those psychopathic bastards?"

"Shut up Sasuke. You can deny it all you want, but you and Itachi are bound to think somewhat alike. Using Kiba's plans as what Kisame would do seems a little off, but since both seem to be very passionate in getting what they want and have shorter tempers, they might come up with similar plans. Furthermore, that was the same idea I though Kisame would take, so Kiba stating it as well, makes it more likely. Now, if you are done, go back to the village and see if you can gather anymore information."

Sasuke was about to turn around and leave when he heard Akamaru's urgent and incessant barking.

"Oi, Shikamaru, this tree is covered in Sakura's scent!" Akamaru jumped up a few branches then paused and glanced back over to his teammates. "And her scent is getting stronger the further up I go!"

Shikamaru smirked, his plan had worked, and Sakura had been up in that tree.

Within seconds, all four of them were up in the tree looking around.

"She was definitely here. Seems she was here for a long time. There are a couple more scents here also, I'm assuming those are Akatsuki, but they did a pretty good job covering their tracks. I can't get a definite scent of them to follow."

Shikamaru once again fell deep into thought.

_Akatsuki makes sure we can't pick out their scent, yet they didn't bother to cover up Sakura's? They don't know about Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell, but Sakura does. What could she have done that was obvious to us, but not to them? Was it her scent? Is that her clue?_

"Kiba, is there anywhere around here that her scent is concentrated, like if she left something behind, a note, a carving, glove, anything?"

"Akamaru and I are trying, give us a break! Go bother Sasuke or something, maybe you can get that stick out of his a…Wait, here! Akamaru!"

The large dog stood beside Kiba and lowered his nose to the wood before letting out a long low howl.

"Is something there?" Sasuke questioned.

"Yeah. Her scent is really strong right here…" Kiba looked over to his canine companion. "You smell it too Akamaru?"

"Smell what?" Sasuke attempted to ask again.

Akamaru let out a low whimper as he looked solemnly at the bark.

"What the hell?! Explain now Kiba!" Sasuke was incredibly annoyed at being ignored, and the fact that Shikamaru wasn't backing up made him even more infuriated.

_Don't they care to find Sakura, or they just going to cry over wood until she really is killed by my sadistic brother?_

"Calm down Sasuke. Kiba, what's wrong?"

"We smell Sakura's blood, I'm not sure if they killed her then washed it off, leaving Akamaru and I with just a faint scent, or if she just had several cuts and that blood is what we are smelling. I don't smell any kind of cleaner or soap, but enough water can dilute the scent. Damnit! It's mostly here," Kiba pointed at a large sturdy branch with a good span, a few yards from the main tree trunk. "Then there seems to be a good bit leading towards the trunk."

Shikamaru landed where Kiba previously designated.

_Come on Sakura, speak to me…you had to have left some sort of clue, just where did you-ah!_

Sasuke watched as Shikamaru's face went from the knitted-forehead-thinking face, to a smirk.

Shikamaru knelt down and robbed his thumb over a piece of bark, pleased to find the Konoha symbol carved roughly into it, pointing towards the rough imitation of the symbol for Stone.

"Thank you Sakura, this really helps." Shikamaru murmured to nobody in particular.

"Hmm. What did you find? She leave a clue?" Kiba asked curiously.

"Yes, and probable the best clue we could ever receive for a rescue mission."

"Well, quit smirking like that and tell us what is there?" Sasuke replied thoroughly annoyed while walking over to the place that Shikamaru had just examined.

"She not only proved that she was alive, but told us where she was going. The only thing to consider now is whether or not it is a setup."

"Why would it be a setup?" Kiba asked.

"Because, if they have Sakura, they are trying to lure Naruto to them. Since she saved him, they know that she has some tie to Naruto and that he will come running to save her. That would leave the only problem in how did she know where they were going? Akatsuki wouldn't slip up accidentally…" Sasuke explained.

"So basically, they let the information slip to Sakura so she could leave us this clue. But then how did they know she would leave a clue to us?" Shikamaru wondered out loud.

"What if we are giving those sorry bastards too much credit? What if Sakura found out because one of 'em slipped when they thought she wasn't around or asleep? I think we are reading into this way to hard! Besides, why in hell would they want to use Sakura to get to Naruto? What is so special about him?" Kiba asked.

"Hm, maybe we are looking into this way to hard. Kisame went to a bar, he could have become intoxicated and revealed that bit of information." Shikamaru sighed, deciding to avoid Kiba's questions about Naruto.

_Better that Kiba stays ignorant of what resides within Naruto. Outside of those after Naruto, only Tsunade, Jiraya, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and myself know. And if it takes all of us to keep the secret unknown, imagine how many it would take to reassure the other ninja that Naruto is the same stupid harmless ninja he has always been._

"That maybe true, too, but we don't have any choice anyway. We are going whether this is a trap or not." Sasuke bent over Sakura's drawing with his Sharingan blazing in determination.

_And I am going to kill that bastard once and for all!_

OoO

_Now isn't this an interesting place…_

Sakura was brooding over her latest living arrangements. After dinner, Deidara had led her back down the hallway. At first, Sakura feared she was going to be put in the same holding cell again, though her face never betrayed her. She kept her stoic façade up to hide all her true emotions and it didn't falter. However, she couldn't describe the amount of relief she felt when the passed the cell's entrance and Deidara stopped in front of another door a few yards down.

"Behave yourself and you won't have to go back into that cell yeah." Deidara warned her.

"Hmm. Can you define 'behave' Deidara-san?" Sakura asked testily.

_Why am I trying to annoy him? He is the only one actually trying to help me._

_**Because, everyone has a weakness, we need to find his.**_

"You can take it however you want, but don't piss anyone off yeah. The only reason you get to leave that cell is because none of us think that you need such handicaps. Actually, I think Kisame wants to piss you off, so feel free to aggravate him yeah. Something about a rematch, but don't think that we won't throw you back in that cell if you become too annoying."

_So Kisame wants to fight me again._

_**Then we will kick his sorry fish ass again! CHA!!**_

"Hmm, if Kisame wants a rematch, why doesn't he just say so?" she asked stoically.

Deidara's face seemed to light up in that second to a look of pure amusement.

"So since it is a rematch, that would have to mean…" he burst into a fit of laughter. "Kisame…got….his ass beat….by you?!" he gasped between laughs.

However, Sakura didn't think it was quite as amusing as he did.

_He doesn't think we are capable of fighting._

_**Then we have to prove him wrong and kick his ass too! **_Inner Sakura admonished.

_Is that your solution to everything lately? Next time you say something, make sure it is useful._

"Yes, I bested your 'Mysterious Monster of the Hidden Mist,' what of it?" Sakura asked in the same even tone.

However, Deidara thought he heard an underlying edge, yet he chose to ignore it.

_What is this stupid kunoichi compared to me anyway? _He thought arrogantly.

"Deidara, what is so funny?" Sasori's calm voice entered the room.

His gaze quickly flashed to Sakura.

_She doesn't appear to be very happy currently, I wonder if Deidara offended her?_

"Sasori-sama, I don't believe it. Our little kunoichi beat Kisame, isn't that humorous?" Deidara watched his partner, looking for any sign of Sasori's amusement to this bit of information.

"I already knew, however, the only reason I can fathom is his arrogance." Sasori replied simply.

"You know, I'm standing right here. And don't talk about me like I am some weak _little _kunoichi as you seem to believe. 'I'm not as stupid as you would like to believe I am, nor am I as naïve as you hope.' I believe that is the advice you gave me Sasori-san, I am now giving you the same advice."

Kisame walked over to where they were standing in the hallway, Deidara's hand resting on the door knob. He had already opened and Sakura could see inside, but her attention was turning to the large Akatsuki member looming in front of her.

"But Sakura, you _are _a weak little kunoichi." He taunted.

Sakura's resolve to stay emotionless and keep up her façade faded quickly as anger surged through her veins.

"Well, Kisame, if _I _am a weak little kunoichi, what does that make you since I kicked your sorry ass fish boy?" The sarcasm and anger seemed to drip off every word as it rolled out of her mouth.

Kisame's smirk molded into a deep scowl as his beady eyes began filling with a cold anger.

"Well, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Kisame yelled. He had a hard set to his mouth as some of his small sharp teeth were exposed and began glistening in the dim light.

Now Sakura's face fell into a perfect smirk as she watched Kisame's anger grow.

_He is overruled by his emotions. I can hit anger easily, but I doubt he will have many others I can exploit. In this state, he couldn't hit me no matter how hard he tries. There would probably be more strength to his blows, but he lacks the clear thinking to outmaneuver me._

Kisame's hand flew to Samehada as he ripped the sword off his back and held it out in front of him, pointing it towards the pink-haired shinobi.

_Who the hell does she think she is dealing with?! I am stronger than this stupid little brat and I am going to prove it! That damn arrogant smirk, I sure as hell am going to wipe it off her face._

Sakura was a little surprised at Kisame's speed. She kept her composure as she began reminding herself that she was still at the Akatsuki base and that other member's could easily join in on any fight whenever they wanted to.

_I'll just have to keep on my toes. Maybe if I beat Kisame they will be preoccupied with him and not notice my escape?_

_**Yeah right! Wishful thinking, Itachi will catch up to us before we even see the exit. But if I must remind you, we picked a fight with Kisame, pay attention to him!**_

_I know, I shouldn't need any help with this fight. Just conserve your strength for future battles, I know we will end up in one sooner or later._

_**Don't forget, he is in Akatsuki for a reason, don't become overconfident. That was his mistake during your last fight, don't follow in his footsteps.**_

Sakura's smirk stayed in place as she widened her stance, ready to face off against the feared rouge shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Mist.

Sasori's interest was piqued as he watched the scene unfold before him.

_Hmm, Sakura has the advantage of clearer thinking over Kisame's anger, but Kisame has a weapon, all she has are her hands and feet, along with whatever jutsu she can conjure up in her chakra-depleted state. This might make for an interesting fight after all, besides, I am curious as to how this girl beat Kisame the first time. This will also confirm my suspicions of her being the Haruno Sakura, the great kunoichi trained by the Copy Ninja Kakashi and the current Hokage of Konoha Tsunade. But even if she is the same girl, is that really enough to take on Kisame? Most shinobi have already heard of her, yet she is only nineteen. Can she really be that good? I'll have to thank Kisame later for being the guinea pig that tests her strengths and forces her to demonstrate whatever jutsus she knows._

"If you want to be embarrassed so badly, then bring it on, if not, then go talk to a trout or something, I have better things to do." Sakura taunted.

Sasori had to commend her style. She was fully aware of what she was doing and Kisame was letting her do it so easily. However, he was a little disappointed that she was picking weaknesses instead of just fighting him simple and clean.

"YOU IMPUDENT LITTLE…" Kisame roared as he jerked the sword to his side, then leaned forward with all of his strength, using the sword's momentum and weight, he brought the sword towards Sakura in a large arc.

_He's fast! _Sakura's mind yelled as the jumped up over Kisame's head and landed behind him.

"Over here." She whispered into his ear.

"Arrg!!" Kisame twisted his body around, allowing for the sword's crushing power to aim for Sakura, but a second before the sword reached its destination, Sakura flashed Kisame a smile and once again disappeared.

She reappeared with a good distance between them, long enough to move if she was attacked, but short enough to make her own attacks effective. Doing several series of hand signs, two clones appeared on either side of her, all wearing the same smug look that irked Kisame so badly.

In a simultaneous motion, the three Sakura look alikes reached behind their backs. When their hands became visible again, a single kunai glinted in the dull light.

"Where the hell did you get that _little kunoichi_?!" Kisame asked annoyed. "I thought you said all of her weapons were removed Sasori!"

"Hmm. Interesting, she must have hidden one somewhere, so I guess Deidara and I didn't get them all. What difference does it make?" Sasori countered sarcastically. He was already slightly annoyed at not knowing she had a hidden kunai, but watching Kisame get outdone by her was just outright pathetic.

Deidara busted out laughing, "Kisame, what's wrong yeah? You've never taken it easy on a girl before, what's so different about this kunoichi?" In earnest, Deidara knew that Kisame wasn't holding back, and he was becoming concerned that Kisame was having problems keeping up with her.

"Shut the hell up!" Kisame yelled as he once again charged at the Sakuras.

The girl in the middle stayed put as the duplicates on either side of her dashed away diagonally, forming a perfect triangle around Kisame. The small steel weapon was held parallel to the ground, with their arm crossing their chests, poised for Sakura's special jutsu.

_Damnit, I can't use this jutsu. It will expose my trump card and the others may be able to think of a counter attack to it by watching it. I need to use simple techniques, they can't learn much about me! I need this to be a one way learning street, I can be the only one that benefits. I will only use that attack if I am forced to._

The large man stood stock still in the circle, shifting his eyes between the three, waiting for one of them to make a move.

_Damnit, she seems to be stronger now! How the hell is that possible? Unless, was she holding back at the Village Hidden in the Mist? But why would she do that? I can't beat her like this though, I need to calm down._

Sakura watched curiously with her smirk still sitting on her lips as Kisame closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Hmm. He has figured out that I was holding back in the Country of Waves. He is reevaluating me then, and calming back down. Maybe I will be able to actually fight in the little spar. So far he hasn't put up any sort of threat, I could have killed him seven times already…_

…_**and we should have killed him when we got the chance!**_

_Maybe, but I am curious how I really measure up to Akatsuki. Kisame is Uchiha Itachi's partner, so that must mean that Kisame himself is fast and strong enough to keep up with Itachi in some way. I want to see how strong he really is, maybe then, I will feel a little better about myself. I still feel that I need to prove to myself that I am not the same pathetic twelve-year-old, and I feel even weaker for being captured. I am stronger, and this is how I chose to test my strength._

_**I just hope we aren't pushing our luck, he is Akatsuki, and as you already pointed out, others could join at any time.**_

"If you want to be embarrassed so badly, then bring it on, if not, then I have better things to do eh kunoichi/"

Sakura's eyes refocused on Kisame, as her smirk fell back into an emotionless look. The effects of only having a miniscule amount of chakra were beginning to weigh on her heavily.

"Come kunoichi, if you are going to…" Kisame continued.

Sakura watched him with her cold calculating eyes. _He is calm, and thinking straight now. I need to be on my toes even more then!_

"…but if you're not coming, I AM!" The large man rushed forward in a blur.

Sakura barely dodged it in time. She flipped backwards, and landed with her feet on the wall. Pushing chakra to her feet, she kicked off, launching herself twenty feet behind Kisame and landing softly between the two replicas.

Kisame was already facing them, anticipating her next move, he charged towards her again, Samehada beside him.

Two of the kunoichi's rushed forward to meet their opponent, as the third hesitated a second before falling in behind the other two. The two in front, brought their right arm across their chest before thrusting their arm in front of them, releasing the deadly weapon.

Kisame stopped short and brought up Samehada to block the oncoming kunai.

"Stupid kunoichi! You make it so obvious which one of you three isn't a clone!"

Kisame pushed off the ground with a burst of chakra and began falling between the Sakura in the back and her body guards in front of her.

The third Sakura threw her own kunai at Kisame as he seemed to pause in midair. Kisame's feet were shoulder width apart, ready for him to land as his arms extended over his head and his sword pointed down at the kunoichi.

"Shit." she cursed as her kunai was deflected with Samehada.

_I can't dodge at this range, he is going to hit me!!_

**Okay, so do tell what you think. I know, I'm evil leaving you with a cliffy, but hey, ask anyone and they will tell you that I am pretty evil by nature. Thanks again for reading, hope you enjoyed!!**

**Kia**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everybody! Thank you so much for all the reviews and for reading and all! I really appreciate! And now, the continuation of the fight!!**

Chapter 9

And her prediction was true as the sword plunged through her chest. Kisame's smirk was triumphant as he looked at the dying girl, but it quickly faded away when he saw the kunoichi smirk.

"Gotcha," she whispered before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

Kisame barely got a look at the real Sakura as her fist, enhanced with chakra, hit him square in the back.

He closed his eyes for a second as he winced at the pain.

"Did you really think that I would be so obvious? Only a coward would hide behind others, and only a fool would fall for a trick like that," Sakura proclaimed as she stood glaring at Kisame. Her breath was coming in quick, short gasps as she fought the weariness within herself.

"Heh. Cute trick kunoichi, but I think you missed something too." Kisame looked oddly pleased when he turned to face her again.

Sakura quickly turned around only to find Samehada swooping down to hit her. She tried to dodge, but it still caught her shoulder, tearing her flesh like a hot knife through butter. She staggered back at the sudden drop in chakra.

"Damn." Sakura looked to her side as Kisame embedded shuriken into her other clone, making it disappear into a puff of smoke.

_I will finish what I started, even if it ends with me dead._

Sakura bent her knees slightly, sinking back into a fighting stance.

"Sorry kunoichi, but this game is over, you are no longer as fast or as strong as you started out. I'm ending this."

"That's what you think. Just be thankful that I was already not as fast or as strong as I could be during this fight, or else you would have been killed before you could have thought to grab your sword."

Kisame's eyes narrowed as he rushed her. Sakura didn't even notice him until he stopped in front of her, with a smirk on is face and his knee in her stomach. The air in Sakura's lungs rushed out as Kisame's elbow came down in the square of her back, fracturing several ribs. As she was falling to the cold concrete floor, Kisame twisted around in a round house kick and sent Sakura flying across the room.

She closed her eyes to swallow the pain as she tasted the metallic tang of blood filling her mouth. Her back hit against the one of the walls, cracking the stone as a small yelp left her lips. Slowly, her weakened body slumped to the ground. She looked up at Kisame, then turned her head to the side, spitting out the contents of her mouth on the floor, leaving a small red puddle.

Looking up once again, she saw Kisame standing above her, his smile looking down on her.

"Is that the best the Demon of the Hidden Mist can do?" Sakura smiled back cruelly.

Kisame's muscles tensed slightly at the jibe before he too smiled at her.

"Good bye kunoichi." His arm came up in one easy motion and as she saw it descend, she closed her eyes, analyzing her situation.

_Damnit! I don't want to use my reserves of chakra, but if I don't this bastard will kill me. I'm going to have to use that justu. _Sakura began calling out a large reserve that she had been storing up for years and did two hand signs quicker then a normal shinobi could see before stopping suddenly._ Wait---maybe not._

Sakura looked at the back of one of the Akatsuki members. Long, black hair trailed down their back ending near their waist and was held together in a tight, black band at the nape of her savior's neck. The hem of their cloak was what she had felt earlier, the black material seemed even darker in the dimly lit room, the the red clouds stood out brightly in contrast.

Sakura began trying to stand up, leaning heavily against the wall, holding her side where several cracked ribs begged to be mended. Once she successfully had both feet under her, she looked up slowly, curious as to which Akatsuki member would put themself in the way of Samehada to help her.

"Kisame." A dark soft voice began. "The Kyuubi won't come for a corpse."

Sakura's ragged breath caught in her throat as she recognized the voice.

"Uchiha Itachi," she breathed quietly.

_I was right. I felt his presence and...and...and what the hell? Deidara was the one I originally felt molding his chakra so I stopped, so why did Itachi do it?_

Itachi had drawn his katana just in time to stop Samehada from delivering the fatal blow, and he now stood before her, quietly protecting her.

"Yeah, I guess. I just got carried away, that's all. I won't kill her..." Kisame began as he shouldered Samehada. "...at least not until the Kyuubi gets here, then I call dibs on her." He told them simply. His head turned towards the small girl now standing behind his comrade and flashed her a malicious grin.

_Damn bastard. _Sakura thought disgusted. _He talks about killing me like I was the evening news. That is just sick, even to a shinobi. It is our job to carry out the missions assigned to us by our Kage's, but still._

**_There is no 'buts.' We are all shinobi, we all live by that rule. Their Kage is known as Leader, that is the only true difference. _**

_Maybe, but I refuse to massacre entire villages like them. I won't kill innocent men and women, and I'd die before I let anyone kill an innocent child._

"Hn." Itachi sheathed his own sword and began to leave. Walking back out through the doorway, leaving Sakura in confusion as for the reasoning of his actions.

"What..." Sakura began as she tried to form a question, and for once, her face revealed her confusion as she looked back to Kisame.

He had a feral smile as if nothing had happened. "You're lucky little kunoichi, but I suppose that Itachi is right. The Kyuubi won't come for a corpse, so we will have to postpone our fight, too bad." Kisame took one last glance at her before following Itachi out.

Sakura began pieceing her composure back together as she focused on her own body.

_Looking at the bright side, I'm still alive and I get to keep my chakra reserve for another time. There is another plus though, if Itachi hadn't stepped in, I would have been forced to use _that _jutsu. I would have ended up depleting my chakra supply and killing Kisame._

_**What's wrong with killing him?**_

_Well, nothing is exactly wrong with killing him, but if he had died, Akatsuki would probably throw me back in that room that drains your chakra. I wouldn't be able to escape at all, furthermore, they all currently look at me as some weak kunoichi, that works to my advantage since they don't expect anything from me. If I kill anyone in Akatsuki they will double their watch on me._

_**Oh, I see, that makes sense, but when the time comes to go on the offensive, I want Kisame to die first.**_

_Get over it, besides, Itachi confirmed my original hunch that they won't kill me. At least not until they get Naruto.  
_  
_**But killing and beating to an inch of one's life are two different things.**__**  
**_  
_Yes, but I have learned a lot in this fight, and they have learned nothing special about me.__  
_  
_**What the hell are you talking about?! We could have just died! We hadn't even put up half the fight we could have!**__**  
**_  
_True, but I didn't think they would kill me. By the time I realized that Kisame would, I would have to use a jutsu that was very demanding and taxing on my body. Besides, just look at Deidara, he was about to jump in to help me, and I felt Itachi coming. It all worked out, so why are you whining anyway?__  
_  
"Tsk, tsk Sakura-san. Egging Kisame on like that, I knew you would regret it, and now look at you yeah?" Deidara began walking over to her. "I was about to step in, Itachi saved me the trouble yeah. But I didn't think that Itachi would interfere...he does have a good point though. Come on, we need to get you bandaged up before you bleed to death yeah." He joked smiling brightly.

Sakura stared at the blond with disbelief.

_How the hell is he so cheerful?__  
_  
_**WHY the hell is he so cheerful? Does this guy have mental issues?**__**  
**_  
_He is is the only one offering to help us, and in my current condition I should just accept it.__  
_  
_**Watch for poisons...**__**  
**_  
_I'm not stupid, besides, why go through the trouble of poisoning me when I'm in this condition. Just rest up, I'm going to need to heal myself once we get enough chakra restored. I still can't believe that his sword drained both of us of so much strength when he barely clipped us.__  
_  
"Thank you Deidara-san." Sakura said cordially, her stoic facade fully restored and hiding the pain that relentlessly sapped her of whatever strength she did have.

_Damnit! _She mentally cursed the pain.

Sasori watcher her carefully, fully amused at the scene that had just played out before him.

_How surprising, I expected Deidara to go to her aid...and he was about to. But Itachi saves her instead. Although he has a valid point for keeping her alive,it is unexpected of Itachi to interfere like that. So either the Kyuubi is being a pain in the ass to retreive, so using her would then be simpler, or he doesn't want to see her die yet. But that wouldn't make sense either, did I miss something the kunoichi was about to do?__  
_  
_After the draining she received from Kisame it is surprising to see her conscious, much less standing and walking. Maybe she was about to perform a jutsu, but how could I have missed that? She looks like hell anyway, no way she could have mustered enough chakra to do any jutsu of true consequence. She must be about to pass out, but she seems to be good at hiding her weaknesses. She actually fought well, and she confirmed it, she is Konoha's famed shinobi. She fought wisely as well though, she didn't give away any of her skills or jutsus aside from that monstrous strength. But I can't even be sure that was her full strength, besides I already knew that she inherited that from her sensei Tsunade. Well played Haruno-san, you will be one to watch._

Deidara took a few steps towards the door, then turned around and watched the pink-haired girl curiously. She had been having a hard enough time standing up, much less walking. Her face didn't show any discomfort, but there was a slight limp as she dragged her left leg a little. Sakura looked him square in the eye, defiance shined in her own green orbs as she stared back at the rogue ninja from Stone.

"What's wrong, did you forget where you were going?" she asked harshly to distract him from the subject of her condition.

_Damn, I hate being seen like this, and I refuse to be carried. I can walk by my own damn self. Hell, I can even take care of myself. Their medical attention would be useful until I can use my own, but I won't be treated like a weakling. They have no idea what I am capable of.__  
_  
"Sakura-san, we are never going to get you there in time, you will lose all your blood at this rate yeah." He walked back over towards her.

Deidara frowned a little as he saw her body stiffen when he approached. He watched as Sakura began to take a defensive position, ready to fend him and his help off. But as an idea popped in his head, he smiled again.

"Sorry Sakura-san, but Itachi is right."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as her mind began trying to interpret Deidara's objective. "What do.." Her muscles tensed as Deidara disappeared from in front of her.

_Shit! He is fast, but I can walk on my own!__  
_  
She felt his presence emerge directly behind her. She shifted her weight, intending to turn around and deliver a right hook, however as her weight fell on her leg, she felt pain spike through her body. She shut her eyes wincing at the invisible knives that seemed to be piercing her body. Then she felt a small prick on the back of her neck and realized what happened.

"We need to get you bandaged up and since you seem to be taking a slightly more complicated approach, I will solve both of our problems yeah." Deidara finished as he gave the pressure point a firmer squeeze, immersing the kunoichi into unconsciousness.

"Damn you bast..." Sakura whispered as her eyes began closing and she fell backward into Deidara's arms.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san, but you'll die otherwise." He argued back to the sleeping girl.

Quickly he picked up her small body and carried her effortlessly over to Sasori.

"Sasori-sama, care to give me a hand? You know more about medicine then I do." Deidara asked his partner cheerfully.

Sasori raked a hand through his blood red hair as he exhaled slowly.

"I suppose I might as well help. If she dies she is useless, besides I have nothing better to do." Sasori began walking out with Deidara at his heels carrying the limp body of Sakura in his arms.

OoO

"Damnit." Neji cursed under his breath.

Their time was up and he hadn't found out any useful information.

_Please be okay Sakura. I will find you, I swear it.__  
_  
Lee landed softly next to his former teammate. His black hair falling lightly in front of his eyes, reminding him of the haircut Sakura promised to give him.

-FLASHBACK-

"Oi, Lee-kun! Your hair is longer then usual, are you growing it out?" Sakura asked curiously while they were resting under a tree.

Lee chuckled lightly at her comment. "No, Sakura-chan, I just forget about getting a haircut while training. The power of youth flows strongly through us, allowing us to train for days without tiring or worrying about small details!" He exclaimed triumphantly.

The corners of Sakura's lips turned up softly as her eyes eyes softened.

"Lee-kun, what is it with you and your 'power of youth?' We're nearly adults, no longer children, it isn't youth, it is simply our own determination, perserverance and stamina now."

"Sakura-chan!" Lee looked back at her in shock. "How can you say that? We have boundless amounts of youth! Nothing can take away our youthful spirit!"

Sakura had to chuckle at Lee's obstinate point of view.

"Well, all the same, when Naruto and I get back from our mission next week, would you like me to give you a haircut?"

Lee knew that Sakura's offer was just an act of kindness from the kunoichi. He knew she didn't feel the same about him as he felt about her, and he became jealous of the love that Sakura had once thrown at the nonreciprocate Sasuke. Now Sakura was more serious about everything, rarely smiling. Lee always tried to be more exuberant around the kunoichi in hopes of making her as hearty and warm as she had once been, before Sasuke left her.

"Thank you so much Sakura-chan! May the power of youth give you more strength on your mission so you can hurry home!" Lee yelled giddily while running over to the girl and giving her a giant hug.

Sakura's half smile still hung on her face, but Lee had felt her body stiffen as she stood still during his embrace. She neither resisted nor gave in, simply was there. Lee slowly dropped his arms to his side and took a step back, examining the girl before him while reminiscing about her past self.

_Sakura, why won't you return to your old self. Naruto brought Sasuke back to you so you could become like your old self, yet you still torment yourself. You still remain so cold and uncaring, you have become hollow inside._

"No problem Lee-kun, take care. I should go pack." Sakura turned her back to the taijutsu master, lifting her right arm lazily in a wave goodbye as she walked away, never looking back.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

_She never came back to give me that haircut like she promised_, Lee thoguht solemnly as he looked over to the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan.

Neji was staring at Lee expectantly and it pained Lee to have to report.

"There were no villagers that knew who the Akatsuki were, much less where their hideout is." Lee said with finality.

Neji simply nodded his head to his former teammate, already aware of what everybody's answer would be. His eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance as he realized their chances on finding information this way were slim to none, however, he couldn't come up with another way to find her.

Hinata was the next to arrive, her shy demeanor seemingly vanished as she walked up to her cousin. She always wanted to prove her worth to him. She felt so inadequate, like a disgrace to the Hyuuga clan standing next to him.

_And I am a disgrace to the main branch in comparison to him_, she thought ruefully. Even though her father had begun tearing down the walls between the main branch and the other branches of their clan, others still expected her to be stronger. And somewhere deep inside herself, Hinata too wished that she was stronger.

"Nobody seemed to know anything pertaining to Akatsuki Neji-kun." Hinata mangaed without stuttering.

Neji gave her a curt nod, fully expecting that answer.

Finally, Shino and Tenten landed in the clearing. Neji looked over to them, mentally pleading with whatever god would care to let them have some information. _Anything..._ he prayed silently. Tenten shook her head sadly as Shino stood stoically beside her.

"Shino, d-did your insects hear anything about Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked tentively.

"Yes." Shino answered off-handedly.

All of them seemed startled at that answer. At this point, they had all come to the same realization that Neji had, but Lee was ready to assault Shino with questions.

"Did they find Sakura-chan?! Is she alive?! Is she alright?! How far away is she?! When was the last time the Akatsuki was spotted there?! When...OW!!"

Lee covered a large lump on the back of his head where Tenten had just smacked him.

"Shut up Lee! He can't tell us with your incessant questioning!" she shouted.

Lee was a little ashamed of himself for not realizing that. He was supposed to be twenty, yet he was acting like a twelve-year-old. He promptly stood up straight and met Shino's gaze seriously.

Neji was completely annoyed at the waste of time, but so thoroughly thrilled with the idea that they had a lead to Sakura's whereabouts that he didn't care too much. His attention fully turned to Shino.

"What have you found out Shino?"

**Yeah, sorry this one is kinda short. I will try to make the next one longer, but I really wanted to go ahead and get this out! So please review, I love to hear input, besides, I haven't been criticized lately. My friend really isn't that helpful (wow is she gonna give me hell when she reads that comment), she'll just jump up and down excitedly yelling "FIGHT! FIGHT!" My, my, how truly sad and childish. She's already hyped up over the fight in the next chapter. Oh well, thanks for reading ya'll.**

**Kia**

**Oh, and I'm going to TN tomorrow and won't be back until the following Friday, that is why I am posting this a day early. But I won't be able to put up the next chapter until either LATE Friday or most likely Saturday. Just in case you were curious. Ja ne **


	10. Chapter 10

**Ah...another chapter...**

Chapter 10

"Ow, where the hell am I?" Sakura mumbled weakly.

_Itachi saved me. _Then a spark of annoyance hit Sakura as she remembered Deidara knocking her out.

He felt bad for knocking me out? In a sense, he was right, Tsunade always said that I had too much pride and needed to learn to accept help from others. I guess I picked that trait up from Naruto. But then again, I wasn't going to die, if I was I would have known and healed myself.

"Come over here and I'll work on you damnit. And what is wrong with my vocabulary? I'm not that stupid." Sakura answered annoyed that Deidara had the nerve to criticize her after knocking her unconscious.

Sakura cocked an eye at him. She felt like she was going to burst out laughing at him. She quickly bit her inside lip until it drew blood. Having the metallic taste in her mouth helped her keep her emotionless expression.

"Sexist bastard."

This time Deidara laughed, but he was open and carefree. It reminded her of Naruto when he laughed.

_His guard is still up, even if he is in this condition, however he is not as receptive. I may be able to get an attack in before he realizes that I was taking to the offensive...but I can't try it yet. Another piece of information to store for my escape._

When Sakura looked back over to the blond shinobi, his laughing had ceased and he was staring at her intently.

"What?" she asked becoming annoyed by his unfaltering look. She pushed her upper body off the bed and swung her legs over, allowing them to dangle a couple inches from the floor, however, she suddenly wishing she hadn't moved so quickly as a sudden light headedness overtook her senses.

"You should quit trying to analyze everything so much yeah. You aren't going to get by Kisame or myself, and you aren't even considering Itachi and Sasori-sama. Basically, you're stuck, so try to get along yeah. Trust me, it will be easier on you. Kisame already wants to kill you, don't make so many enemies with the ones in charge of your fate."

Sakura immediately realized that he was trying to help, but that was what was confusing her so much, adding more to her already spinning head.

_  
He doesn't want me to die? What the hell is up with these people? What the hell am I supposed to say to something like that?_

_**  
He doubted our skill! That sorry bastard! Challenge him right back! Say something witty!**_

"Hm. Is that so...well, I don't trust you and I'm not going to _try to escape_." Sakura said slowly and decisively.

"If you're not going to try to escape then I'm happy." Deidara stated cheerfully, ignoring her first comment of not trusting him since they both knew she would be a fool to trust anybody within Akatsuki.

"I said I wasn't going to _try to escape_, and I'm not. First, I'm going to kick all of your sorry Akatsuki asses, then I'm just going to walk out the front door, therefore not _trying to escape _but _succeeding in leaving_."

Sakura slid off the edge of the bed and walked over to a door on the left side of her room. She walked through and shut the bathroom door behind her while soothing her spinning head with a miniscule ammount of chakra, leaving a bemused Deidara behind.

"Well, then I guess I will have to watch you Sakura-san." He mumbled as he stood up and walked to the door on the opposite side of the room, fully admiring her stubborn and defiant attitude. "Finally, someone to make the days a little more interesting."

OoO

"According to a couple of civilians in the west part of town, Akatsuki was seen here somewhere between two and five days ago. That side of town plays host to criminals, missing nin and the like. Though, there were no reports of the group having a girl with them at all, much less Sakura." Shino told them using his usual flat tone.

A small beetle crawled out from under Shino's sleeve and stood motionless on the bridge of his finger. He curiously brought his hand closer to his face and looked down at it before giving it a curt nod and lowering his arm back to his side.

Tenten was about to question what Shino was doing, but she felt the sticky legs of some bug on the nape of her neck and became immediately alarmed.

She swiftly brought up her right hand in preparation to swat the nuisance. Yet, as her hand came closer, she felt another presence beside her, which abruptly stopped the action. Looking over, she saw Shino standing slightly aloof, one hand in his pocket the other firmly grasping her wrist in a terribly painful way.

Tenten began glaring at him, annoyed that he stopped her and was further agitated that he was currently squeezing her wrist so tightly. But she refused to let the pain show in her face as she stared at Shino using the coldest gaze she could muster.

"What the hell is your problem Shino?!" Tenten asked exasperated about his actions and a little worried that whatever bug was on her was poisonous.

"I just asked all of my insects to return to me. That one you were about to his is one of them. Tenten..." Shino turned his head towards her as the round frames of his sunglasses fell lower on his nose, exposing his dark black pupils to Tenten. "...if you hurt them, I will hurt you."

Tenten felt a slight fear within her begin to rise at the pure intensity of his eyes. She had never seen them before, and she was now sure she never wanted to see those black orbs again. Tenten began trying to form an apology to the bug user when she felt the pain in her wrist cede away as Neji now stood between the two.

"I'm sure she is sorry Shino, but we don't have time for this. RIght now we all need to go down to the west side of the twon and talk to everybody, try to gather all the information we can, then cross reference them and hope we can form some sort of truth." Neji's eyes were hard and unyielding as he watched Shino closely, almost challenging his comrade to continue the previous argument.  
_  
Damnit Tenten! You knew he planted his insects on all of us, why did you try to kill it? It was just a stupid beetle. Now I have to deal with this while Sakura is probably in some cold, dark cell starving to death.  
_  
Neji's gaze intensified as Shino stood before him. Shino hadn't shown he was satisfied yet, but he hadn't really shown that he wasn't either.

Tenten was slightly surprised at Neji for helping her, but they had been former teammates, maybe he felt obligated to go to her aid.

"Sorry Shino. I should have realized that it was one of your insects. It won't happen again." Her eyes never left Shino's as she felt her pride smolder slightly due to her apology.

_Mom always said I was too proud for my own good. _Tenten joked wryly with herself.

Finally Shino dipped his other hand into his pocket and looked away. "You're right, it won't happen again."

Tenten was both taken back and annoyed at the challenge. Even though he accepted her apology, he insulted her right back. Tenten was already bad with apologizing, but this was enough to make her want to beat Shino to a pulp.

"Wh-" Tenten began furiously.

"Tenten! This isn't the time for your ridiculous little vendetta. Hinata, Lee, let's go. Unless you two have anything else to discuss, we have wasted enough time already."

Tenten watched as Neji took off. Lee and Hinata both gave her a sympathetic smile before following thier captain. An extremely frustrated Tenten followed obediently, but silently was fuming at Shino's words.

_The nerve! Neji and Shino are so going to get it when we get back to Konoha, especially Shino! Wait until I tell Sakura how Neji let Shino talk to me like that! I hope she beats the hell out of both of you. Though knowing Sakura, she will probably just give that pathetic little half smile of hers._

The five moved silently through the trees, only a slight swish of the leaves could be heard, which civilians conveniently mistook for the soft breeze caressing the tree tops.

OoO

"So, what are we gonna do with Haruno Sakura yeah?"

The four Akatsuki members were gathered in the kitchen. Hizaru and Kudan had been sent on a mission earlier that morning and weren't expected back for a while. Sasori and Itachi were sitting at the table across from eachother sipping some hot tea. Both looked up at Deidara, who was currently leaning against the far wall, close to the corridor that led to their rooms. Even Kisame looked away from his sake to stare at Deidara.

Silently, they pondered the same thing. They knew their purpose for keeping her there, but not exactly what to do with her until she fulfilled that purpose.

"Where is the stupid girl anyway?" Kisame asked gruffly.

"She is asleep in her room. Sasori-sama gave her a seditive so she'll be out for a while yeah." Deidara answered absently, looking forward to the answer to his previous question.

"For now, keep her alive," Itachi stated impassively.

"You know she intends to fight back and get away. I don't know about any of you, but I don't intend to babysit her." Sasori pointed out.

"She fights us, then we fight her," Kisame replied while flashing a malicious grin, exposing his small pointed teeth.

"Of course she's gonna fight! If she didn't, then she wouldn't be a shinobi yeah." Deidara said.

"True, but I don't want to deal with some troublesome girl, especially one as well trained as she is. I'm sure you have realized who she is by now Itachi-san." Sasori glanced over to the Uchiha.

"Yes, but that has no consequence against us." Itachi's cold eyes remained on Sasori.

"Who she is? What do you menat yeah? She is Haruno Sakura, shinobi and ANBU of Konoha. What else is ther to know yeah?" Deidara looked to his partner expectantly.

Sasori let out a sigh in annoyance.

"You should recognize her name as well. Haruno isn't just _some _shinobi." Sasori began.

Kisame and Deidara's full attention was now focused on what seemed to be something spectacular about Sakura. Deidara's interest especially was piqued as he pondered the kunoichi's behavior and attempted to figure out Sakura's "secret."

_What have you been hiding from me little kunoichi? Most shinobi brag about their talents and fears when they're captured in some pitiful attempt to cause their capturers fear. But you haven't once said anything about your skills, and already Sasori-sama is hesitant to deal with you.  
_  
"Haruno Sakura is the apprentice of he Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi and the legendary medic shinobi Tsunade, who is currently presiding over Konoha as their Hokage." Itachi said blankly, interrupting the silence that reigned a minute ago.

"She is an elite medic ninja, surpassing the skill of her mentor Tsunade, and is currently among the best shinobi to ever live in fighting tactics, chakra control and overall capabilities within her village. But the most interesting thing is how adaptable she supposedly is to situation. Most shinobi have a strength such as ninjutsu or taijustu then lack skill in the other category such as genjutsu. But if the rumors are true, this kunoichi possesses skills from several fighting styles so she can fight even more effectively." Sasori continued.

"What kind of fighting skills?" Kisame asked curiously.

"Hm...one rumor states that with the help of a Hyuuga, she has memorized different pressure points on a person's body and can shut them off. Of course, this won't be as efficient as one possessing the Byukugan, but coupled with her medic skills, she could probably pull it off." Sasori mused.

"Hm...interesting track record yeah. But we were all prides of our villages at one point, she is just one more in a long line." Deidara mentioned thoughtfully.

"Yes, and because she is so upheld, we are ensured that Konoha will send shinobi to rescue her." Itachi told them.

"So, that was your aim. You think the Kyuubi will be one of the shinobi that Konoha sends?" Sasori asked.

"He will be sent," Itachi said with conviction. "He too has been famed by Konoha and why wouldn't the Hokage send her best to retrieve her apprentice? Even if the Hokage figures out that this is a trap and doesn't send him, the Kyuubi will come of his own accord to rescue his friend."

"Sounds good to me yeah. That will work, but do you mind if I play with her tomorrow? I want to see how good she really is yeah."

"Hn." Itachi looked over at the blond before resuming his tea.

"Don't kill her Deidara, and don't underestimate her either and get yourself killed. I don't feel like finding another partner currently." Sasori commented casually before returning to his tea as well.

Deidara smirked, looking forward to his fight with the famed kunoichi.

_Let's see how good you really are Sakura-san.  
_  
OoO

"We don't have a direct location, but we know that Akatsuki was here in this part of town recently, " Neji stated.

"That means that this town is probably the second or third closest to their hideout, which means we should probably observe under every rock within a three town radius." Tenten observed.

"Wait, why wouldn't it be the closest?" Lee asked confused.

"Because of dense people like you and Naruto." Neji replied, annoyed that such a basic concept as this needed explaining.

_Didn't he listen to anything that the teacher told us in class at the academy?  
_  
"If you had a hideout, that you didn't want anyone to find, and needed supplies, would you go to the nearest town?" Shino asked hypothetically.

"Going to a farther town will throw off more shinobi." Tenten further explained.

"RIGHT!" Lee exclaimed, while holding out his left palm so it was parallel to the ground and slamming the side of his right fist into it as determination and understanding filled his eyes.

Neji sighed, thankful that he didn't have to explain, but annoyed that even more time had been wasted. He shook his head before looking over to his cousin.

"Lady Hinata, did you find out anything we need to know about when you went to furhter question the civilians?"

"Hai. Whoever was here from A-Akatsuki bought a lot of food a-and a small outfit."

"Small outfit?" Shino replied questioningly.

"H-Hai. The shop keeper told me that it wouldn't come close to fitting the two men that had bought it. She even said that the g-guy asked for an outfit that could fit an older teenage girl." Hinata finished.

"Heh." Neji smirked while looking at his cousin. "Sakura must have annoyed them enough to get her a change of clothes."

"Yes! That means that Sakura is well and healthy! The power of youth remains strong within her! Lee shouted exuberantly.

Tenten swiftly hit him in the back of the head.

"Shut up baka. Some one will hear you." She hissed.

"Who would have thought that we would find such a wealth of information in the first village?" Neji mused.

"Yeah, lucky huh?" Tenten murmured.

"Hai, lucky." Hinata agreed softly.

OoO

"Sakura-san! You awake yet! Come on! Sakura-san! Get up yeah!"

"What the..." Sakura sat up groggily. She looked over to the door slowly with blurry eyes and heavy lids. "Deidara-san, go away." She said flatly before falling back on the bed.

"Sakura-san! Either you get up or I come in and make you get up! Now be a good girl and get up yeah!" His fist pounded the door incessantly as Sakura once again opened her eyes.

"Come in here and you won't walk out in one piece. Now let me sleep." Sakura's cold tone warned him.

_Damn him. I had put myself to sleep to help recover my chakra at a faster rate. Figures this would happen, the jutsu I put on myself is very effective for its purpose, but it always leaves me so groggy when I wake up. I haven't even been asleep long enough to recover half of my chakra. What could he possibly want?  
_  
Deidara couldn't help but smirk, he'd found a way to anger her, and as childish as it seemed, he wanted to exploit it fully.

"In I come Sakura-san." He whispered mischeviously, almost inaudibly, as the words barely reached her ears.

Sakura's eyes slowly traced to the door, waiting for the annoying blond to waltz in and annoy her.

_I am still their prisoner, so I must be careful not to anger any of them too much. Especially in the state I am in right now-I don't have all my chakra and my body's reflexes are slower than normal.  
_  
Her jade orbs stayed fixated on the door as her weariness befan falling away, leaving Sakura more alert.

_What the hell? Deidara said he was coming in, yet I can't feel his chakra signature anywhere. Damnit, what is he planning?  
_  
Sakura's eyes were now wide open as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and landed lightlyon the cold stone floor. She regretted leaving the warmth of her bed, but an Akatsuki member said he was coming in her room to get her, she really didn't have a choice.

_Granted, it's not much of a room, but still, there aren't any other people coming in to bother me. Alright, time to think, he is planning on trying to wake me up-wait-he already succeeded in that. What else could he want?  
_  
A dark shadow moved in the corner of the spacious, but bare room as Sakura's stance became defensive and her eyes searched tirelessly.

_What the hell?! Is he in here?! I can't feel his chakra!  
_  
Sakura's ANBU senses kicked in as a small amount of movement occurred in the corner of her eyesight. She whirled around, her jade eyes a bit duller as a calmness settled over her and she searched for the intruder.

_There! It's small, but it's chakra!  
_  
Sakura remained stoic as she turned to her right and charged in the dark room. At the last second, Sakura realized that the chakra wasn't Deidara but one of his clay birds, one of his bombs!

"Shit." She cursed under her breath as she pushed chakra to her feet and propelled herself backwards landing lightly beside a desk. She looked down quickly to become aware of her surroundings when a silver glint caught her eye. She risked another look down and spotted a letter opener.

_Not perfect, but who am I to complain?  
_  
Sakura's hand reached down and grasped the small knife. Her hand tightened on it until her knuckles became white as she targeted the bird.

_If it comes after me, I'll have to detonate it, but until then, I need to try to locate Deidara. If I take him out, his ridiculous game would be over. Besides, if I prematurely set off the bomb I will only end up regretting losing my only weapon. I was lucky that they didn't find that kunai I used yesterday. Against Deidara, kunai and shuriken are my best chance. It won't be advantegeous of me to get hit by one of his explosives in my current state. I still lack too much of my chakra.  
_  
_**Focus! Quit complaining abd analyzing everything so damn much! Deidara's bird could only get in here through the main door or the barred window, right?  
**_  
_There must be a third opening we don't know about! So that'll be where Deidara is hiding! If we find him we have found an escape route too!  
_  
_**Yeah!! What are we waiting for?! Let's find that bastard!  
**_  
Sakura's expression, or lack of, remained unchanged and hard. She began slowing her breathing, inhaling longer and deeper. It was risky since it slowed her reflexes, the the result would further open her senses, allowing her to find Deidara and eventually her escape.

Finally reaching the heightened state, Sakura's eyes closed as she mapped out the room from behind her eyelids. She felt the chakra in the bird and knew it hadn't moved to attack yet. And then it finally dawned on her.

_Damnit!_

**Hello my faithful readers!! I'm back with a new chapter!! Isn't life grand?! Just kidding, but sorry for the delay, I didn't get home last night until 12:38 from my trip...ugh, it was so long! And the entire time I was with a bunch of sorry bitchy girls. They even gave me a new nickname SIM which stands for Stick in Mud, because I wouldn't paint my nails 'Fuck Me Pink' (I hate pink) and that I wasn't some huge Elvis Presely fanatic! Ohh, I'm so pissed off at them, but I love you all for reading my story. I suppose I shouldn't get so upset over their annoying and immature behavior, it's like elementary and middle school all over again! Yay me (that is major sarcasm if you didn't figure that out)! I'm not messed with too much in High School, because most of the people are afraid I'll kick their ass, of which I will, but unfortunately I have to put up with these bitches for seven or eight more months. **

** How troublesome...anyways, sorry for ranting, and thanks for reading. Don't forget to review!!**

**Kia**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yeah, another chappie! Unfortunately school will start back up soon, but I will still try to update every week! Love ya and I know always forget but I don't own Naruto...yet...**

Chapter 11

Sakura tensed up as she attempted to move out of the way of Deidara's attack, yet she knew she couldn't dodge the kunai as she jumped back away from the deadly weapons racing towards the vital areas of her head, neck and heart.

Sakura performed several hand signs in rapid succession, creating nearly a blur as Deidara watched on in amazement.

_She's faster than I thought! Right now, she seems to have a whole new mind set. Is this really the same Sakura that fought Kisame the other day? She was hardly taking him serious compared to now, her whole demeanor is different._

Deidara watched the knives hit their respective target as the kunoichi disappeared into a puff of smoke and a large bed pillow took her place. The small weapons went through the pillow, ripping three large jagged wholes in it and embedding themselves into the far wall.

_Now I know where you are! _Sakura thought as her substitution jutsu saved her from the daggers.

Sakura appeared by the far wall and ripped the three kunai out of the wall in one swift easy motion before disappearing again within the second.

"Shit." Deidara muttered as he dodged two kunai by jumping over them, landing towards the center of the room.

"You're awake now yeah?" Deidara asked sarcastically as his eyes swept the room for the pink haired girl.

"Yes."

Deidara looked above him from where he heard the sound of her voice. He saw the blank expression ever present in her distant eyes as she released the chakra holding her to the ceiling and pushed off, hurtling herself towards him.

"You forgot my friend yeah." Deidara stated, referring to the clay bird she found earlier, as he jumped out of the way of her fist.

"No." She answered simply as a small silver letter opener hit the bird. The clay figure exploded on the minature knife's impact.

Deidara's attention faltered for a second as he watched his creation blow up.

_I hadn't anticipated her being this advanced. I underestimated her and it is going to cost me._

Deidara felt a small pain erupt in his right shoulder. He looked down to see the last of the three kunai's he had thrown at her embedded deeply in his flesh. When he looked up, Sakura stood before him, but before he could react, Sakura had ripped the weapon out of his shoulder with her right hand. He didn't even see Sakura's left hand become engulfed in chakra and hit him square in the stomach, sending him into the wall. Deidara finally realized that she him pinned against the wall, with the steel held dangerously close to his neck.

The blond let out a strained laugh as he stared unwavingly into the kunoichi's hardened eyes. Sakura stared back, never once losing the hardened barrier as she pressed the tip of the sharpened weapon to his neck, drawing a small bead of blood. The red liquid slowly ran down his neck, mixing with sweat and disappearing into his black fishnet shirt.

"Come on Sakura-san. Calm down, yeah, I don't want to have to hurt you." Deidara bluffed.

Sakura smirked coldly.

"If you could have changed the situation Deidara-san, you would have. Since you haven't you are acknowledging that I could have killed you and that I have therefore won. Since I won," Sakura withdrew he kunai and took a step back, "I now ask you to leave. I was sleeping before you interrupted me, now I would prefer to continue my previous task."

Deidara was relieved that she had backed off, she had the perfect opportunity to kill him, yet she withdrew.

_I wonder why she didn't take that opportunity? She will end up only regretting that decision, however, she is too smart according to Sasori-sama to not have strong reasoning behind keeping me alive. But, she doesn't realize that I really could have turned the tables if I had wanted to, only the results would have been devastating since it would have killed her and that would definitely piss Itachi-san off. Yet, the fact that she decided not to try to kill me is intriguing._

"Hm, I see Sakura-san. In that case, I'll come get you for dinner yeah."

Deidara kept a steady gaze on Sakura, noticing that hr demeanor remained the same strange, cold one he had suddenly met during their recent encounter.

_So this is the side of Sakura that made Sasori-sama so hesitant to watch her. He was right, I underestimated her and lost. I hope the others don't find out yeah. _Deidara thought as he walked out of Sakura's room, locking the door behind him to keep her in.

Sakura fell to her knees seconds after she felt his chakra leave.

_Damn, that took way too much energy. I wasn't ready for such an exertion. How annoying. Now I'm back to square one, with only a little but of chakra. And I thought I'd be escaping soon too._

_**Hmph, at least we showed that bastard not to mess with us! Did you see the look on his face?!**_

_He's Akatsuki, there was no look, they betray no emotion._

_**Yeah, but if he did show emotions imagine what he would have looked like! CHA!**_

Sakura sighed as she slowly stood up and ambled over to hr bed. She collapsed on top of the disheveled covers as soon as she reached the bed and exhaled slowly in content at the thought of sleeping.

_At least I have proved my strength, but still that fight seemed too easy. On the bright side, now I have him thinking. He doesn't know why I let him live, and I doubt he'll ever figure it out. How amusing, I wonder if I should tell him, maybe, one day... _and slowly Sakura drifted off to sleep.

OoO

"Can't we do something more productive?"

Kiba was quickly becoming more and more agitated.

"Quit your whining Kiba, it is giving me a headache. I already sent a messenger hawk to Tsunade-sama, what more do you want? She told us to gather information, then report back. We have to follow orders, we should be receiving work from her with our orders either today or tomorrow. Until then, be quiet."

Shikamaru's patience with his team ran out a while ago, an incredibly rare event, however, these two managed to do it with their incessant arguing. All of them wished to chase after Neji's team. Hell, Shikamaru himself thought about disobeying orders to aid in the search for their friend.

Sasuke stared scowling, annoyed that his trust hinged on obeying orders while Sakura's life hinged on what mood his sadistic brother happened to be in at the moment.

_That sorry bastard is going to kill Sakura and I'm the only one hat can save her. Nobody, not even Neji, can stand to look into Itachi's eyes but me. I have to get there, she never fully forgave me for leaving in the first place, but maybe, just maybe if I saver her she will. How funny, I never thought that I would wish for something as trivial as forgiveness. Besides, not only would I get my Sakura back, I would get the chance to avenge my clan._

_Kiba is now keeping Shikamaru's attention, I could probably escape and go after Sakura. These two can't match my speed or strength, and Kiba is just about as dense as Naruto. The only thing I would have to do is avoid Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu. If I go on the tree tops, he would have to get within two yards to catch me. I could make it…I can make it…I will-_

"Sasuke, don't even try. You're thinking too much, that makes it obvious that you're planning on going after the others. Trust me; the shadows aren't the only thing you will need to avoid if you take off. Am I clear enough?" Shikamaru looked over to Sasuke with a completely blank and bored expression. "I'm warning you Sasuke, don't test me. You haven't been back long enough to analyze and see the strength everyone has gained. In fact, Sakura is probably one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha now." Shikamaru smirked as he saw Sasuke's eyes widen slightly in surprise.

_Sakura! One of the strongest?! She was the weakest when I left!_

"Kind of funny actually." Kiba mused, turning to face the Uchiha. "She trained so hard, in hopes of simply getting you to return, and to bring Naruto back when he went to get you as well. She is definitely one of the most flexible kunoichi's. She has trained with any shinobi that was willing to help teach her, which consisted mostly of the old rookie nine along with Lee and his team. She practiced for months with Lee to develop her taijutsu; with her chakra control Naruto helped her to learn the Rasengan; even Neji taught her some chakra points to hit to cut off an opponents chakra, which works well for Sakura with her memory and medical background she can use it pretty efficiently for not being a Hyuuga. Hell, she even surpassed my speed when she asked for my help, but that is nothing compared to the speed she gained from training with Lee."

"I also taught her some of my shadow techniques, and she learned how to be incredibly precise and deadly with long range attacks from Tenten. To think of the lengths that she went to, all because of you. It is rather ironic." Shikamaru continued.

"Hmph, I don't see why. You were never there for her, but we were." Kiba snarled at Sasuke.

"Gradually, I think she began realizing this and quit caring-not just about you, but about everything. She grew to only have two goals in life: become stronger and protect her friends. I believe that Naruto thought that bringing you back would return Sakura to her former happy, loving self. But it didn't, our Sakura is gone, replaced by a stronger one, a less compassionate one. But you know what, I think the old Sakura is still in there somewhere…"

"If she is one of the strongest shinobi and has become so accomplished, then why was she caught? A true shinobi would have recognized the trap, Sakura didn't. You two keep going on and on about her, yet I don't see why she's so great. Furthermore-" Sasuke iterated before Kiba's interruption.

"Shut the hell up!" Both Kiba and Akamaru were standing up, anger pulsing through their veins as Sasuke's slander fueled their tempers. "You don't know anything about her! She ain't the same twelve-year-old girl that you abandoned on that damn bench! You have seen her once since you returned and you're already calling her unworthy and weak!"

"I never said unworthy. Rumors of her as a medic-nin have spread throughout the five great shinobi nations. However, I know she is still weak. She continues to need the protection of others. She has always needed the protection of others, even as genin, Naruto and I always had to save her." His knee was propped up on the low tree branch while his other leg hung limply. His fingers were loosely entwined on top of his knee, making a comfortable place where Sasuke rested his chin casually while looking over to Kiba with a bored expression.

"Knock it off already. " Shikamaru's eyes were shut as hit forehead rested in his palm. "Your bickering is giving me a headache. This is a pointless argument Kiba. Let Sakura kick his ass, that is the strongest argument, besides, that will be more amusing to see then you yelling back and forth with him."

"Che." Kiba sat down on a large rock with a growl as Akamaru sat down beside him, exposing his teeth to the young Uchiha.

Sasuke leaned back against the tree's main trunk and stared up through the branches at the small random patches of light that the sun radiated, but what the tree's foliage failed to cover.

_Can Sakura truly have grown strong?_

"Huh? What's up Akamaru?" Kiba was looking toward his canine companion curiously as the dog jumped up and yipped excitedly.

"What? Really? Hey, you guys! Akamaru said our hawk is coming!" Kiba exclaimed.

Shikamaru stood up, "Finally, I want to finish this troublesome mission."

Sasuke looked at the dog with interest. "He can actually pick up the scent of a flying bird?"

"Well, not exactly. The hawk we used has a small bag attached around one of its legs with a strong smelling aroma. Akamaru's nose is much more sensitive then mine, I can only pick up a faint whiff of it now, so I'd say the bird it ¼ mile out."

"Good, I'm tired of sitting around here." Shikamaru walked over to where Kiba and Akamaru were standing. "Great job Akamaru." Shikamaru reached down and patted the dog on his head softly while looking towards the sky.

Sasuke dropped to the ground from his perch with a light thud before walking over to his teammates.

_No matter how they look at it, I'm still stronger then them. But Shikamaru was right about one thing, I don't know any of them well enough to actually know strong they are. However, they don't know how strong I am either. But if Kiba has honed his senses to be that sharp, then there is no telling what Neji or Lee, hell even Shikamaru are capable of. I already know Naruto, he's the one that kicked my ass and brought me back. I didn't put up a full-fledged struggle since I did wish to return, however Naruto's strength still surprised me._

Akamaru let out another excited bark as the messenger hawk flew into view. The shinobi watched it close the distance. The bird dipped his wings as he circled above them before folding his wings and landing on Shikamaru's outstretched arm.

The hawk's brown feather's gleamed in the sunlight. He cocked his head, as if examining the shinobi and finally rested his gaze on Akamaru. It tilted it's head back and released a loud screech before clamping its beak a couple of times. Finally, it focused on the owner of its perch and extended its leg to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru began mumbling something about troublesome birds as he unfastened the message. As soon as the small piece of parchment was in his fingers he began unrolling it to reveal its contents.

"We are to travel and meet up with Hyuuga Neji's team and assist them however possible," Shikamaru finally stated. "Go home hawk."

The large bird once again looked all the shinobi over before releasing a shrill screech and taking flight.

Sasuke watched the bird rise in the sky, drifting on the air currents while surveying the landscape below him.

_It would be nice to be a bird. To be able to go as I please, where and when I please without fears of gates or doors stopping me. Simply flying to whatever destination I felt like. Yes, it would be very nice to be a bird._

And the three shinobi took off toward the Village in Stone.

OoO

Sakura awoke to a firm rap on her door.

_It's not Deidara. _She realized immediately.

Sakura sat up quickly and threw her legs over the side of the bed, waiting for her visitor to say something.

_I'm sure as hell not going to say anything. I wouldn't even know what to say! 'Hang on Akatsuki, I'll get the door!' What kind of bullshit idea is that. If they want to say something then they can say it, but I'm not about to start a conversation with someone I don't even want to talk to._

"Haruno-san, I'm coming in."

_Ah, alas, the puppet master Sasori. How amusing, he has sufficiently combined demand and politeness._

The door opened to reveal the scarlet haired shinobi. Sakura was on her feet by this time as she gave the ninja a level stare. He stood in the doorframe with a lazy posture, reminding Sakura much of Shikamaru.

_And their both brillant if our information on Sasori was accurate._

"Dinner is ready if you are hungry Haruno-san." He looked at her through half-lidded eyes. The dim light reflected off his blue eyes, making the cold blooded murderer look just as threatening as Sakura had heard rumors about.

"Hai." Sakura crossed the room towards her escort. When she got within arms reach, Sasori turned and began walking away, expecting Sakura to follow, which she did.

_I thought for sure Deidara wold be the one to come and get me._

_**We must have scared the shit out of him if he sent his partner! CHA!**_

That's just it. Deidara should want to make a point that he doesn't fear me, however, sending his partner creates an opposite message.

_**Maybe he is just trying to confuse you and really does fear you!**_

No, he isn't afraid. He underestimated me, which led to him being an easy adversary. It was a mistake that he won't make again. Besides, I've thought about it for a while now, Deidara could have snaked out of my hold on him. He decided to test me, he wanted to see what I would do if given the chance. The only thing is, I don't know what he was expecting or hoping I would do. But he left himself an opening that could have probably sent me flying into the other wall if I had decided to push the kunai any farther into his neck.

"Haruno-san, did something happen this afternoon?"

"Hm?" Sakura was surprised at the question, but decided to play the role of ignorance.

"You had more chakra last night then you do now." Sasori explained.

"Hn." Sakura grunted.

_I can use Sasuke's signature answer for everything. I use to hate it because it could be interpreted several ways, but its my safest answer in this situation. I don't know what Deidara told the others, but if he hasn't mentioned our fight, I'm not going to clue them in that I beat one of them._

Sasori turned his head a little to look at Sakura, but didn't say anything else.

_He is clueless about out fight, but I think he suspects it. But for all he knows the depletion is from healing myself. Thank god they know nothing about medical shinobi or they would have realized how little chakra my injuries would take. But I wonder, do they even know who I am or any of my abilities? That would be a huge advantage on my side, that's for sure._

Sasori and Sakura continued on in silence, but the missing nin was very deep in thought.

_As the Hokage's apprentice she was entitled to all of the information that Konohagure had. She should then know the basics of all of our fighting techniques but I wonder how far that knowledge extends. I've heard rumors on how this kunoichi fights, but they don't make sense. Some say she's capable of the Gentle Fist technique of the Hyuuga clan, others say her strength is genjutsu and there are several more propositions of other skills as well. But the basic theme is that she uses her target's weakness against them. After her fight with Kisame, I'd say that she is a taijutsu fighter with excellent judgement in battle. But wouldn't Kisame's weakness have been if she put him in a genjutsu? And at one point she set herself up for some sort of jutsu, but then realized that she didn't want us to see it. Is she trying to get us to underestimate her?_

Sasori glanced at her again as they walked through the winding corridors.

_But she is still unsure how much we know about her. I need to speak with Deidara, something transpired between these two today, and it may help us learn more about her strengths and weaknesses. _

Finally they walked through a door leading to a dimly lit kitchen where all of the other members were sitting, but Sakura's eyes locked with red eyes sitting at the end of the table.

OoO

"So, all in all, what have we concluded?" Tenten asked. Her right hand currently supported her head as she tried to steady the pounding headache she gained trying to interpret, analyze and cross-reference all the information the group had gathered.

"Basically, nothing of true value or importance." Shino stated.

"D-Don't say that!" Hinata argued.

Her high pitched voice held strong conviction as she met Shino's gaze. She held her stare for a few seconds before her shy side took over and forced her gaze to the ground.

"I-I mean..." Hinata looked at her hands as she began figeting with her fingers. "...we have found out something important. W-We know that Sakura-chan is still alive. T-That's important."

"Lady Hinata is right. That is an invaluable piece of information. Now we are sure that we are looking for a comrade and not a corpse." Neji agreed.

Hinata's head snaped up as she looked over at her cousin appreciatively.

"Furthermore, we can assume that if Akatsuki hasn't killed her yet, then they aren't going to until she serves some purpose of being there." Neji continued explaining.

"But for what purpose would they want Sakura-san?" Lee asked.

"That's just it. Sakura has several skills. It could be for her healing abilities." Tenten suggested.

"Perhaps, but I don't think it is something as simple as that." Shino commented.

Neji's eyes narrowed considerably as he glared at Shino.

"Is there something that you want to say Shino?" Neji prompted.

"Going through the trouble of kidnapping a famed shinobi like Sakura is too extreme or something such as healing." Shino replied.

"But what if one of them were seriously hurt and no ordinary medic could fix it? That would make Sakura-san nd the Hokage the best choice. The Hokage is too far out of reach, so her apprentice, Sakura-san, would then me the next logical decision." Tenten added.

"If you keep looking at the situation as a simple kidnapping then you're never going to dicover the real reason."

Neji's team turned around startled and faced none other then the genius strategist Shikamaru and his team.

"And from what prospective are you suggesting that we look at the situation?" Neji asked unfazed be their arrival.

"Well, for one, Akatsuki didn't infiltrate Konoha and kidnap Sakura. They simply had conflicting missions." Shikamaru began.

"Conflicting missions?" Lee repeated questioningly.

"Weren't you listening to the Hokage Lee? Akatsuki was sent to kill the same man that Sakura and Naruto were sent to protect. Of course the two fought. What's your point Shikamaru?" Neji pressed on.

"Any shinobi could have been sent from Konoha to protect that man. I don't think Akatsuki wanted Sakura, I think they wanted a Konoha shinobi and she simply sacrificed herself on Naruto's behalf." Shikamaru explained.

"That loser. I should have figured that this was all his fault." Sasuke commented annoyed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

All of the group turned to see none other than Naruto standing above them with a raher annoyed look on his face.

"Damnit, how could this get anymore troublesome?" Shikamaru complained.

**Hey everybody, here is the next chapter. At first, I wasn't going to have the two groups meet up just yet, but I started getting annoyed having to write separate sections for each team. Besides, it only makes sense that Shikamaru figures out the whole scheme. I mean Neji technically could, but I'm not a huge Neji fan, I think his ego is too big sometimes and that he focuses on little details too often. Sorry Neji fans! Anyway, review when you can, I always love to read them!!**

Kia


	12. Chapter 12

**Go me, another long chapter!! I am posting this one earlier than usual (I know thats gotta make you happy) since I'm not sure if I will be able to post on Friday like I usually do. I hope you enjoy and I still don't own Naruto for any of you too thick headed to realize this on your own accord!**

Chapter 12

"N-Naruto-kun?!" Hinata exclaimed surprised.

"That's right! Naruto Uzamaki is here to save the day!" He yelled while smiling from ear to ear.

"Naruto! You idiot! What the hell are you doing here?!" Shikamaru demanded.

"What? Why else? To save Sakura-chan!" The blonde shouted back.

"Don't you think that Hokage-sama had a reason for _not _sending you with us! You're not supposed to be here, go back now!" Shikamaru shouted.

"No! I'm not abandoning Sakura-chan! She risked her life to save me, now I'm gonna do the same for her!" Naruto's blue eyes were set hard with determination as he glared at Shikamaru.

"Naruto, we both know why you can't come. Why do you still-" Shikamaru tried calming down to reason with his friend before being cut off.

"I don't care." Naruto interrupted.

"Look Naruto, either you go back to Konoha or we force you back. What's your choice?" Neji stepped in, frustrated with both of them.

_Not only are they wasting time, but they know something I don't. Why does is bother Shikamaru so much that Naruto is here? This sounds more of an argument I'd expect between Naruto and Uchiha. But if Shikamaru is so strongly set against having Naruto with us, I'm sure there is a strong reason.__  
_  
"Che. Just let the idiot come with us. It's not worth wasting our time and energy over. He won't be captured with all of us there." Sasuke said.

"What?! You've got to be kidding Sasuke! You know why he can't come." Shikamaru stated.

"Yes, I know why he _shouldn't, _but I just told you why he _can. _Besides, Naruto may be a loser, but he can still help with the mission." Sasuke insisted.

"W-why can't Naruto-kun come with us?" Hinata asked, braving the question that was running through the rest of the group's minds.

"Is there something you three wish to share?" Neji asked annoyed.

Naruto began shifting uncomfortably under all of their gazes. Sasuke simply stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked off into the woods. Finally, Shikamaru broke the tense atmosphere.

"Che. Whatever. But Sasuke, if anything happens on this mission, I am holding you accountable, got it? Sakura is already going to be pissed off at Naruto for coming, but she is going to be even more upset at us for letting him come."

"Nani?! Why would she be mad at me?!" Naruto asked exasperated.

"Naruto, you really are an idiot, geez. The girl risks her life to save you and now you are once again coming within their grasp. This whole mission screams suicide for you Naruto. Sakura isn't expecting you to come, so you shouldn't. And we both know how much Sakura hates surprises." Shikamaru said, putting up his last arguments against Naruto.

"I don't care what Sakura expects. I know she is in danger and I'm gonna save her!" Naruto argued back.

"Before you start with your heroic speech, maybe you should remember how and why she ended up in danger." Shikamaru countered.

Naruto had no reply. He was fully aware that it was his fault she was captured and he knew why the Hokage had not assigned him to this mission. The very action of being outside of Konoha was suicidal for him while Akatsuki was on the move. But he had every intention of resolving his initial mistake of allowing his friend to be caught by rescuing her, even if it cost him his life.

"I know." Naruto admitted looking down at his feet. "I know it is my fault that Sakura was caught." Naruto's fist clenched as the shame of his mistakes taunted him. "But I refuse to let Sakura suffer for saving me while I coward in the safety of our village! I will go to whatever length necessary to get her back!"

Shikamaru stared at the blond. Naruto knew the risks and consequences and trying to talk the shinobi out of coming was about as worth while as telling a dog to sweep the floor. Neither would listen, and attempting to force either was just a waste of time.

Shikamaru let out a long sigh before turning to face Neji.

"Tsunade-sama appointed you as the leader of this group Neji. It is your call," Shikamaru said in the same bored tone that the group was so used to.

"I can't spare any of you to take Naruto back to Konoha, so he will have to come with us."

Naruto's face lit up as he jumped to the ground.

"Alright, let's go save Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted exuberantly.

"We have to find her first dobe." Sasuke voiced.

"Oh right." Naruto agreed sheepishly as he began scratching the back of his head.

"So, Neji, tell us all the information you have gathered so far." Shikamaru walked over to their mission leader as he switched subjects to the more pressing matter at hand.

"Hai." Neji agreed as be began debriefing them, but still his mind wondered.

_Why was is so much more dangerous for Naruto to be on this mission than any of the rest of us? Shikamaru and Sasuke know something, and it irks me to be short changed information, especially if their secret is going to put one of us in more danger.__  
_  
OoO

_Sorry bastards.__  
_  
Sakura continued working out using one of the many exercises that she learned from practicing with Lee.

She balanced precariously on one finger as the rest of her body made a perfect vertical line. Slowly she bent her elbow, lowering herself until her nose was within three inches of the top of her wrist. Sakura closed her eyes while exhaling, and after a second of hesitation, she slowly pushed her body back up.

"Eight...hundred...thirty-seven." She whispered quietly to herself.

_Within the week, I should be back up to full charge, and I'll take them all out. Nothing to it but to do it. I should probably wait for most of their Akatsuki asses to be gone on a mission. For each one that is gone, my chances of success are raised.__  
_  
"Eight...hundered...thirty-eight."

_I'm already aware that I can easily take Kisame and Deidara since I have alrady fought with them. In my previous fights I was careful to only use taijutsu and basic ninjutsu so that they wouldn't learn about my true strengths in battles, but when I start this time, I'm going all the way.__  
_  
"Eight hundred...thirty...nine."

_When I do make my move, it will probably be best to provoke one of the member into a fight. That way I'll be able to take out one of them before the others even realize that I'm actually going after them.__  
_  
"Eight...hundred...forty.

_Once the first one is dead, every member within the building will come after me. I've noticed that at least three lower members are always around, but they only have a small amount of strength with simple training. Their jobs are simply to take care of the actual shinobi members.__  
_  
"Eight...forty...one."

_But, I don't want to overlook them. A couple of them may have a trick up their sleeve, I need to expect that. I can't risk making such a stupid mistake, especially in the presence of such a tough enemy.__  
_  
"Eight...forty...two."

_But I need to try and launch my attack when Uchiha Itachi is _**_not _**_here. That will be crucial. I would be able to take him on if it were just the two of us, but for all the chaos I'm going to cause, I couldn't possibly attempt to keep up with him and every other asshole that stepped up. Besides, falling into Itachi's Tsukuyomi is still too risky for me. I've trained a lot with Kakashi-sensei, but I still haven't perfected my ability to predict my adversary's ability while not looking at their face, or eyes actually.__  
_  
"Eight hundred...forty...three."

_Besides, Itachi would be a pain in the ass to deal with. Any jutsu that I perform, he could easily add to his already impressive list. I definitely can't risk that. I only have a couple techniques that I could use on him that he wouldn't be able to mimic immediately, but those require a great deal of concentration, control and chakra. I have no doubt the Uchiha could learn them, however it he would need to see it two or three times in order to understand the complexity of it.__  
_  
"Eight hundred...forty-four."

_It doesn't matter though, I'm planning this around Itachi's absence, so I won't even have to deal with him. I need to stop thinking about what to do about him and start focusing on the opponents I am going to fight. I must be ready, I can't fail. Failure means death, but if that is what i meet, then I will die a proud shinobi of Konoha while taking some of those assholes with me.__  
_  
"Eight...hundred forty-five."

OoO

"Oi, Itachi. It's done, but do you think they will really work?" Kisame walked over to his partner with Deidara close on his heels.

"Yes it will work. The kunoichi left a clue to her team mates that they should have followed to Stone. The only thing they could do once they arrived in Stone was question the civilians in hopes of finding a lead to her. Did you describe the girl to the shop keeper in detail?" Itachi asked, though he didn't really seem to be listening as his gaze seemed far away.

"Of course. We went to two different clothing stores, so Konoha's shinobi should find at least one of them yeah. But do you want us to give these outfits to her? I mean, she's been in those same clothes for a while yeah." Deidara asked.

_Maybe I shouldn't have asked, that way I could have just gone ahead and given them to her and they really couldn't complain. Now I have given them a choice. Poor Sakura, she must be intently wishing for something different to wear. Especially since her current outfit is torn up pretty badly and has been stained with all sorts of blood and filth.__  
_  
Deidara stared expectantly at Itachi, awaiting his answer. Since the kunoichi was brought by Itachi and Kisame, they had the primary say in what she did and what happened to her.

_Luckily for her Itachi could care less about her presence. Actually, Itachi has always been decent to his prisoners. He gets whatever information is necessary using whatever means necessary, then disposes of them quickly. Compared to what Zetzu does, hell, Sakura is getting the royal treatment.__  
_  
"Might as well, eh, Itachi? It's not like we have any use for these clothes." Kisame agreed.

"Hn." Itachi turned his back to his comrades as he made his way back to his room.

"Here Deidara, your idea, go give 'em to her." Kisame dropped both outfits into Deidara's arms before heading back outside.

"Hai, you sorry lazy ass." Deidara murmured as he made his way through the long corridors to Sakura's secluded room.

Deidara knocked hard on the door twice before calling out her name.

"Sakura-san, I'm coming in!"

Deidara hesitated a second before turning the knob and opening the door.

"It is considered rude to simply demand you are coming in before waiting for a reply." Sakura's dry voice commented as Deidara stepped in and shut the door.

As Deidara looked up, his mouth already opening to quip back, his eyes widened a fraction as he stared at the kunoichi.

Sakura had obviously just finished taking a shower. Her pink locks were a darker shade, magenta and clung to her body. Small rivulets of water still dripped onto the cold grey cement floor. The dim light reflected off of her wet skin, making the kunoichi look even paler while casting an ethereal image. But what caught Deidara off was the single black towel wrapped around her body. Sakura's left hand held the two ends of the towel together in front of her chest, covering all of the necessary areas, but sagged a little towards her back, creating small folds that dipped down showing the square of her back. It was then that Deidara noticed several areas where the light seemed to reflect just a little more.

_A shinobi's tattoos. _Deidara thought as his eyes roamed over the scars adorning her skin. _The only flaw in a true work of art. I wonder how many she has...they seem to cover her entire back and chest, along with her arms.__  
_  
Finally, Deidara's eyes rested on Sakura's stern face.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Sakura prompted annoyed, but maintaining the same emotionless expression that seemed to forever grace her face.

Deidara almost burst into tears at the thoughts that came to his head.

_There are several things that you _**_could _**_help me with, but I doubt she'd agree.__  
_  
But he blinked back the thoughts and pushed the image of the woman before him to the back of his mind.

"Here. I'm sure you'd appreciate these yeah." Deidara said off-handly while crossing the room to give her the outfits.

Sakura took one look at the bundle and began mentally thanking whatever god existed for giving her new clothes.

"Thank you Deidara-san. Perfect timing, I really was sick of wearing this." Sakura motioned to the tattered clothes folded at the end of her bed. Sakura then looked up at Deidara, and for the first time, Deidara saw the pink haired girl give a small smile, and he too flashed his own lopsided grin.

Sakura quickly grabbed the first outfit and walked into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door as she began to dress.

Deidara chuckled lightly at her as he waited for her to walk back out.

Within two or so minutes, Deidara heard the door handle twist and Sakura emerged in tight fitting capris that extended down to the top of her knees and a hunter green sleeveless top with a v-neck. Deidara watched as her dripping hair left darker spots on her new shirt.

"So, what purpose did my new outfit serve?" Sakura asked while performing some simple stretches and nodding with approval that her new threads still allowed her to move easily.

"Now what would give you that notion Sakura-san? Can't a friend give a friend something they desire yeah?"

"Normally, yes. But a criminal doesn't give a prisoner something unnecessary for survival." Sakura replied simply while continuing to move around and get accustomed to the new clothes.

"Heh. So skeptical yeah." Deidara joked.

"On the assumption that I'm bait to bring Naruto here, you probably went to a nearby town and described my appearance for an outfit. That way, when the others show up, they'd take it as your miscalculated mistake and their big break in finding me when they finally find a villager that knows something about how I look. I guess there are two outfits because you wanted to make sure my comrades found at least one of the leads, so that meant you had to go to two different shops. Or at least something to that like, ne?" Sakura finally stopped moving around and stared at her capturer.

Deidara smirked in spite of himself," I told you to quit analyzing everything so much **little **kunoichi yeah."

"I was pretty sure that was your purpose for keeping me here. Thanks for confirming that for me, now why don't you run along and go play with your clay my **little **blond friend." Sakura added with her own smirk, as Deidara's eyes narrowed slightly at her taunting.

_Damn Konoha kunoichi! Why do the pretty ones have to be such a big pain in the ass yeah? But still, she surmised so much information so accurately with little to no information to go on. Sasori-sama would enjoy speaking with her, she seems to be very tactical. But I don't know who she thinks she is kidding, she can say whatever she wants for all I care, I'm aware that she hasn't confirmed _**_anything_**_ from this conversation.__  
_  
"Well, Sakura-san, I need to go now, but I'll vome get you for dinner yeah. Take care." Deidara added as he crossed the fllor to the door that held her in.

"Hey, Deidara-san. You have anything spectacular planned for tomorrow?" Sakura asked the blond surprisingly.

"Um...no. Why?" Deidara asked curiously, stopping with his left hand resting on the door knob as he partially turned to look back at the pink haired captive.

"I was wondering if you have nothing better to do, if you could stop by for a little while. It gets pretty boring pretty quickly in here all alone." Sakura said.

Deidara continued staring curiously at her.

_She's wearing that emotionless face she seems to always have. What is she trying to hide? Is she really just bored? But I guess I would get pretty bored too yeah.__  
_  
"Alright. I'll try to come by. If I have enough time, I might even take you on a walk yeah. The flowers have bloomed and they truly are an amazing display of art."

Sakura's mask faltered a second as the sentimental note of what he said threw her off. But she collected herself before Deidara noticed.

"Hai." She accepted quietly before Deidara left.

Sakura watched the door close and waited until she felt his chakra signature head back down the corridor before she allowed herself to relax. Sakura then became filled with pleasure at her accomplishment.

_What an interesting character, I definitely didn't expect a comment on flowers or art. Where the hell did that come from? But he agreed to come, so I may get my answers out of him tomorrow. I think Deidara is the best person for me to question, he has a personality at least, all the others are a bunch of hard asses. __  
_  
Sakura fell back on her bed as she began running through a list of information she needed to slip out of him and began thinking of ways to broach each topic without seeming to pry.

OoO

"I see." Shikamaru mused. "That is a pretty big mistake from a top organization such as Akatsuki."

Neji stared at him critically.

_I just told him everything and all he can do is remark on Akatsuki's screw up. Figures, we spent two weeks gathering all of that information, talking to every civilian, asking questions, then cross-referencing each of our individual data.__  
_  
"Itachi wouldn't do something that stupid, he's leading us into a trap," Sasuke mumbled, but nobody missed the way Sasuke ground out his elder brother's name, like it was some sort of curse that should never be named.

"That's what I think. How many people had information regarding Sakura?" Shikamaru asked the group.

"Um...t-two did Shikamaru, a-and both owned clothing stores. Neither said that they actually s-saw Sakura-chan, b-but they knew h-her age, height, weight a-and her general build." Hinata answered.

"Why does it have to be a trap? What if they just made a mistake? Simple and clean, nothing to it." Kiba asked annoyed. "You're just complicating it and giving those bastards too much credit."

"We need to look at this from every angle Kiba. It is very likely for them to be setting a trap. Nobody said we weren't going to follow, but being aware a trap is at the end is crucial for us to be successful in this mission." Shino added.

"It doesn't matter if there is a trap or not, we will still succeed in rescuing Sakura-chan!" Lee cheered.

"But Shikamaru still has a good point. Considering who we are up against, this would be a set up. So then, I guess the next best question would be what are we going to do?" Tenten said as she let her mind wander, playing out different scenarios.

"We only have one thing that we can do." Neji began as the rest of the group looked over to their leader. "We have to take the bait and follow the information to where ever it takes us. With the consideration and possibility of it being a trap we will just have to proceed with more caution."

"Hai," they all agreed in unison.

"We are going to split up into four groups." Neji told them. "Shikamaru, I want you to take your original team of Sasuke and Kiba to investigate everything within a five mile radius north of this town. Shino, you and Lee will search within a five mile radius east of here. Hinata and Tenten will go west. And Naruto will search the south with me."

"You sure splitting up is a good idea Neji? We would be stronger if we all stayed together." Tenten asked concerned.

"There is too much ground to cover for us to worry about something so trivial. As it is, we each will have a lot of ground to cover and we are pressed for time." Neji told her.

"Heh, I doubt that clumsy idiot will run out of energy any time soon, good luck dealing with him Neji." Sasuke added while smirking at Naruto.

"Shut up Sasuke! I'll show you who the clu-" Naruto began furiously.

"Knock it off!" Neji interrupted. "Meet back here in ten days. You are to question every civilian in the other towns on appearances of either Akatsuki or Sakura in addition to doing an investigation and thorough search for Akatsuki's hideout. Thier base should be well hidden and in an isolated area. At any sign of danger, back off immediately and come back here to wait for the rest of us. Understand?" Neji asked curtly.

All of them nodded their heads to show they understood before jumping into the trees and heading in their respective directions.

**Yeah! Another chapter!! Boy am I tired, I wanted to make sure I posted another chapter this week so I had to finish it early! But thanks to everyone that reviewed! I always love reading them! They make me feel special! **

**Ja ne and don't forget to vote!!**

**P.S. I hate school and really really don't want to go back!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I have never been so behind. I usually finish a day or two before a have to post, but I just now finished. I haven't been able to really access a computer though, so it isn't really my fault. Oh well! A little Sakura attitude for you!! Enjoy!**

**I still don't own Naruto!!**

Chapter 13

Sakura stood up slowly after she finished stretching out her muscles.

It wasn't something any shinobi did to actually prepare their muscles for a vigorous workout, but Sakura enjoyed feeling the muscles stress at the simple work and definitely enjoyed the benefits of being limber. Though many ninja scoffed the light work, Sakura found it very helpful in battle, allowing her to turn quicker and react faster then many could imagine.

Sakura turned to face the heavy door that was keeping her in.

_Damn door...damn walls...damn windows...damn Akatsuki! Why the hell did they have to be so smart?!___

Sakura often contemplated her confinements. She had attempted to figure out a way out of the room for a long time, however nothing she ever tried seemed to work. She wasn't inside of an ordinary room at all, in fact, if she hadn't been the one caught in it, she probably would have admired the work and ingenious of it.

The entire boundary of her room was flowing with chakra. At first, she thought that she could break the barrier easily when she was ready to initiate her attack. However, as she later found out, the actual fibers within her cell, for example the wood of the door and the porous stone walls, were actually infused with chakra. This was an extremely difficult task in itself, but the S-class organization had taken it even further to actually have different "patterns" of chakra, so to speak. So there wasn't a simple steady flow to break, but one that fluctuated, making it near impossible to get out and the second it was cracked it would alert every shinobi within the building.

_He's coming.___

Sakura felt a slight pressure and instantly recognized Deidara's chakra signature. She could only feel within a few yards of her immediate area, so she knew Deidara would be knocking momentarily.

She unconsciously smirked at the ease of her plan. Slowly, Sakura inhaled a deep breath, closing her eyes. And as she exhaled, she let go of emotion, becoming hard and unreadable as her eyes shot open revealing cold emerald orbs.

Not a second later, Deidara was at the door, giving two hard knocks before calling out to her.

"Sakura-san, you up?! I'm coming in yeah!" Deidara hesitated a bit longer this time to see if she would reply or not, since last time he ended up walking into a wet and mostly naked kunoichi. Thought secretly in his mind, he hoped that he would be able to see Sakura in that state again.

Deidara's hand finally turned the knob and he walked in to see Sakura standing by her bed with her stoic facade up.

_There are enough emotionless and cold bastards, we don't need another. _Deidara thought grudgingly.

"Good afternoon Sakura-san yeah. Sleep well?" Deidara asked with a little enthusiasm.

"Considering the circumstances, I suppose I did." Sakura answered blandly.

_What the hell kind of question is that? I mean really, what kind of answer did he expect? Geez...I need to focus, today is going to be _**_very _**_difficult.___

**_W are over-complicating the situation! Quit trying to mess with his head, the only question we need answered is if Itachi is on a mission or not!_**_****_

_Quit sounding like we are wasting time! He would never give out such important information so simply and I have more than just that to ask! They must be assuming that I am planning some sort of retaliation, they just don't know when or how, and I would hate to disappoint them.___

**_Then be a kunoichi and seduce the information out of him!_**_****_

_That is way too obvious baka! We need to be covert in acquiring the motive!___

**_And how does the cold, unfriendly exterior play in?!_**_****_

_Simple psychology...due to this attitude, Deidara will see me as a challenge, and will try to get closer and find out what is bothering me. If I play my cards right, Deidara will be forced into a one-sided conversation filled with his babbling and hopefully some clues. I can try to manipulate some of his words to get information out of him. It is like a complicated chess game, if Akatsuki is five steps ahead, then I need to be ten. Any other attitude would automatically raise suspicion and make him wary of me, but like this, he won't expect a thing.___

"What is wrong with you yeah?" Deidara asked, but he didn't really seem to care too much.

Sakura remained impassive as she ignored his question.

Deidara watched her expecting some sort of answer.

_What has her so worked up? Did she slip in the shower of something? Damn kunoichi, she never seems to make sense. Somewhere between our fights and her asking me to visit, I don't see how she can act like this. Is she just this moody or is she doing this on purpose? I think I'm going to test her, see if her actions are purposeful or not? But then again, if she wanted information, this is the worst attitude to take. I expected her to be more inviting and cheerful, not so cold and nonchalant.___

Sakura inwardly grinned at Deidara's contemplative face. It wasn't much, but by the slight downward cast of his gaze, the slight wrinkle between his eyebrows and the silence encompassing him, Sakura was thrilled that he took her bait so easily.

_He's trying to figure out my actions and behaviors. Soon his curiosity will lead him to want to start up a conversation with me as a way to figure out whether or not I'm bipolar. As shinobi, we must understand our enemies tendencies or else they can and will catch us off guard. By confusing Deidara, I can catch him off balance. It's fool proof, I doubt even Shikamaru could see through this deception.___

"It is considered rude to ignore someone that is talking to you yeah." Deidara mused.

"Rudeness never stopped you, why should I let it bother me now?" Sakura countered evenly.

_He is trying to use my own words against me, how interesting...I wonder what angle he is looking at this problem. He is going to try and get a reaction out of me most likely. I wonder if I should give him one to let him think that he is in control of my emotions?___

"But as the stronger of us I am an exception yeah. Besides, you are the captive of my organization **weak little **kunoichi." Deidara replied.

Sakura's back stiffened at the small jibe. Sakura could take any name thrown at her, and her enemies had called her plenty. However, there was one taunt that never seemed to loose its effect on her.

_**That sorry bastard! Kill him and prove who is stronger!**__****_

Sakura's jaw clenched as she considered her inner Sakura's proposal.

_Damnit! I can't set my plan into action prematurely!___

"If I am a _weak _little kunoichi and I kicked your ass, then I wonder Deidara-san...what does that make you?" Sakura replied icily, her eyes narrowing as they glared at the offending ninja.

Deidara smirked triumphantly at his prisoner...his words had provoked her.

"Tsk-tsk Sakura-san. The great Konohagure is slipping if a ninja like you is so highly respected yeah. The only way to win between shinobi is to kill your opponent yeah-you didn't kill me, however I had several opportunities to end your life. Also, true shinobi don't show emotions, of which you are clearly doing now. Furthermore, and this one is the most important yeah, _strong _shinobi don't allow themselves to be caught and used against their village."

Deidara watched her expectantly. He was thoroughly amused at the anger she was so desperately trying to suppress.

_She is going to lose it any second. _He thought smugly. _Maybe she needs another nudge...__  
_  
Deidara began to open his mouth to say something when Sakura's reaction stopped him. Before he could react, Sakura's hand had moved to the location of his heart. Here was still a small bend in her elbow as she held her palm parallel to his chest, merely a centimeter away from touching him.

Normally the blond would simply smirk at the pointless attempt and counter, however Deidara froze, unsure of what his next move should be.

He wasn't too bothered that she had taken an offensive stance, he had been coaxing it out of her this whole time. No, his shock came from feeling a foreign chakra in his body...her chakra.

_Damnit! She is a medic-nin, I forgot!__  
_  
Deidara's eyes narrowed as he realized how serious and deadly the situation had become. The aloofness that once possessed him dissipated as he glared back into her eyes.

_I need to get her away from me now!__  
_  
Sakura's murdering aura seemed to radiate off her body in large amounts as she argued within herself.

_Sorry bastard!__  
_  
_**Kill him now! He won't even realize what has happened by the time he dies! Do it!**__**  
**_  
_He still has a use though!__  
_  
_**Cut off his blood flow! Stop his heart! Prove who is stronger!!**__**  
**_  
_This asshole dared to call me _**_weak_**_! He does deserve to die!__  
_  
Deidara saw her inner conflict and was a little surprised she was hesitating, but he could think about that later. His eyes narrowed even more as he felt her chakra begin to constrict within him.

_Shit, anything I do now may prompt her!__  
_  
Sakura was already slightly distracted by the voices in her head as she attempted to decide what to do about Deidara's insults.

_**Why are you hesitating?! You are reinforcing that he was right calling you weak! Prove him wrong! KILL HIM!!**__**  
**_  
_I can't, he still has other uses in my plan!__  
_  
_**Use someone else!**__**  
**_  
_There is no one else!__  
_  
_**Then come up with a different plan! Punish him for calling us weak!**__**  
**_  
Finally Sakura's eyes focused on the blond in front of her.

_No.__  
_  
Sakura withdrew her chakra and turned away, concealing all of her emotions.

_Damn, I did prove him right...'A shinobi should abandon all emotion. Emotions cloud a ninja's judgment and impair their ability to complete missions._' Sakura quoted ruefully. _I acted on my emotions...I have shown him a weakness. But, I have also shown him what I can do with so little effort. Maybe, I have earned a little respect, even if this meeting has been ruined.__  
_  
"I'm impressed kunoichi."

Sakura's head snapped around in surprise as she faced Sasori. His eyes were half-lidded, looking completely bored with everything.

"I didn't think that you were capable of such feats using medical ninjutsu. But you made a wise decision..." Sasori paused, looking quickly to Deidara before watching the girl in front of him again. "If you had gone any further, I would have had to step in."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she watched the puppet master critically.

_I was so absorbed in what to do with Deidara, I didn't even notice his partner walk in. How careless of me! He could have killed me as I debated killing his partner! Stupid, stupid, stupid_! She berated herself.

"Deidara, quit wasting time. Leader wants to see us and I hate making others wait." Sasori said with a hint of aggravation.

"Yeah yeah, I know. Well, I gotta go kunoichi." Deidara stood up and walked off as if nothing transpired.

"Deidara-san..." Sakura hesitated, unsure exactly how to word her question. "Are you leaving on a mission?" She asked a little too timidly.

Deidara paused to turn around and look at her, unsure whether or not he could tell her. He looked back to the doorway to see his partner still standing there waiting.

_No harm in answering if Sasori-sama hasn't said anything yeah.__  
_  
"Yes, we'll be back within a few days yeah. Why do you ask?" Deidara questioned her intentions.

"You and Sasori-sama are the only ones that remember that I do need to eat. Without you two around, I was curious how long I'd have to go without food." Sakura responded.

_Well, it isn't a full out lie, but I can't let them know that this has anything to do with my escape.__  
_  
Deidara smirked at the thought of how dependant she was on them.

"I will speak with Itachi and Kisame. One of them will see to you." Sasori voiced impatiently from the doorway. "Deidara, come."

This time, Sasori walked out, fully annoyed that his partner was going to make them tardy.

"Bye Sakura-san, stay out of trouble yeah." Deidara teased before following Sasori out of the door with a smirk and shutting it, leaving Sakura locked up alone in the room again.

_Maybe our meeting wasn't a complete loss as I originally thought...___

But now Sakura realized what she'd have to deal with for the next few days.

_Shit! I'm going to have to put up with that damn shark and Uchiha bastard! I'm not sure which one I would rather deal with. Itachi definitely won't kill me but he could put me through a hell of a lot of pain. I can handle Kisame however he is just so damn irritating, I don't even want to see him. I somehow doubt that I can stay out of trouble during Deidara's absence.__  
_  
OoO

"Why do we have to deal with that damn kunoichi? She can go a few days without food!" Kisame complained.

"That's cruel yeah! Besides, Leader said a week. Nobody can survive a week without water yeah!" Deidara argued back.

"She has a bathroom, she can drink from the faucet. I'm not going in there!" Kisame pointed out. "Sorry bitch deserves to die anyway." He mumbled under his breath.

Sasori rolled his eyes in annoyance.

_Why is Deidara so worked up anyway? Itachi wouldn't waste his energy to bring her here if he was just going to let her die. I swear, Deidara is so impulsive and never thinks things through.__  
_  
"Shut up Deidara, we're leaving."

"But what about Sakura-san yeah?" Deidara reminded him.

"She'll still be alive when you return." Itachi answered.

Deidara looked over to the sharingan wielder, a little surprised that Itachi answered. Itachi's back was to them as he lounged on the navy sofa. His right leg was propped up on the couch with his right arm leisurely draped over. His left leg was stretched out in front of him on the floor, while his left hand held up a scroll. He still had on his cloak, but it was unbouttoned, folding over itself like a curtain on the sofa on either side of him, exposing Itachi's fishnet undershirt and loose fitting black pants.

Deidara couldn't see what was written on the parchment, but he trusted his comrade to keep his word. He nodded at Itachi, despite the fact that Itachi's position wouldn't let him see the gesture before following Sasori out the door.

"Che. I still don't see what the big deal about her is anyway." Kisame muttered.

"She still has a use, so we will keep her alive." Itachi answered simply, never turning his attention from the scroll in his hand.

"Heh. Yeah, but Deidara is still being annoying." Kisame replied.

The large man hesitated a second, ensuring that Itachi had nothing else to say before leaving the main room and heading to the kitchen.

_Sake would be really nice to have tonight...but then again, it is nice to have every night.__  
_  
OoO

"Do you see anything Hinata-chan?"

"O-Oh...no." The girl replied quietly.

"Geez!" Tenten leaned back against a tree and closed her eyes while sighing loudly. "We've been at this for days!" Slowly her back slid against the rough bark as she sat at the base of the tree.

"We can't give up Tenten-chan!" Hinata replied almost frantically.

_We can't give up, it is isn't an option. We need to save Sakura-chan! Maybe, just maybe, I'll like myself a little more if I can save Sakura-chan. Maybe Neji will recognize my strength...and maybe Naruto...__  
_  
A small blush tinted her cheeks at the thought of the blond. She quickly shook her head to rid her mind of the distracting ideas. She knew that this mission was one of the most dangerous she had ever been on and every bit of her concentration needed to be focused.

"I-I mean, Sakura-chan is counting on us, ne?" Hinata added to her earlier response.

Tenten looked up at the Hyuuga and studied her, then a huge grin broke out on her face.

_She really has changed. She is a lot more confident now, four years ago she would have never been so optimistic.__  
_  
"Hai, you're right. Neji would be so mad at me for uitting so quickly. Come on Hinata-chan, let's keep looking, okay?" Tenten looked out over the large expanse of mountains and rocks before standing up slowly. "Let's split up Hinata-chan. We haven't finished questioning all the villagers yet, so I'll go finish that up while you keep looking out here. Something is bound to turn up, ne?" Tenten smiled again to her team mate.

"Hai." Hinata replied before activating her doujutsu and continuing her search.

OoO

"Oi, Neji?"

"Yeah?"

"Where should we start?!" Naruto asked in distress using a childish tone. 

Neji began shaking his head in annoyance.

_Only Naruto would stress over where to start looking for Sakura-san instead of if Sakura-san is still alive or not. He is too naive, he won't even accept the possibility that something like that could happen. I don't want to either, but there is still a chance.___

"It doesn't matter, so long as we check everywhere." Neji replied.

"Sakura-chan is fine."

Neji was a little surprised at the spontaneous comment.

_How did he know I thought about that?__  
_  
"Sakura-chan is tough. She won't die before kicking Sasuke-teme's ass." Naruto repeated his earlier conviction.

Neji smirked at the image of Sakura landing a punch on Sasuke's abdomen, sending him back several yards into a tree.

"Sakura-san is strong." Neji agreed. "Naruto, there seems to be a few caves over there. Go search them, but don't try anything." Neji pointed to his right. "There are a few more caves over there, I will go search them. Be quick and thorough. We will meet back her in an hour."

"Hai." Naruto answered before he sped off in the direction Neji pointed out.

"Don't be rash and do anything stupid." Neji muttered before heading the opposite way.

OoO

"What chance does she have?" Kiba asked quietly.

He had dropped his pace to match Shikamaru's as they sped through the forest.

"Huh?" Shikamaru looked surprised at the question.

"Sakura, is there any chance we can get her back alive?" Kiba looked over to his friend with a serious expression.

"Che. How am I supposed to know?" Shikamaru replied curtly.

"Because, you always know. Answer the question. Is there a chance? Yes or no?" Kiba responded sternly.

Shikamaru let out a long low sigh. Kiba stayed at Shikamaru's side, waiting expectantly, and for once, waiting patiently.

"There is a small chance. But that chance is built on different circumstances. We still aren't sure what they took Sakura for. That alone is a huge factor, but I am pretty sure that they took her for being a leaf ninja, not for who she is."

"But what if the find out who she is? What if they decide they want to use her for being a medic-nin? Or realize that as the Hokage's apprentice she knows a lot about Konohagure and try to torture the information out of her?" Kiba asked worried.

"There is always a chance. But until we know more, there is nothing more we can conclude. Sakura will be safe until Akatsuki gets what they want."

"Well, then what do they want?"

"I don't know, but I think this is some sot of trap, and we are all falling into it head first." Shikamaru answered quietly. "Kiba. I want you and Akamaru to scout ahead."

"Yeah." Kiba answered. "Akamaru!" Kiba yelled as he shot forward with the large dog hot on his heels yapping excitedly.

Shikamaru watched the two disappear before slacking his pace. Sasuke knew that Shikamaru wished to speak to him, so he extended his stride to move alongside their leader.

"You know we are being forced into a trap?" Shikamaru began, however he seemed to be more stating a fact, then asking if Sasuke realized it or not.

"Yeah, but the trap isn't meant for us." Sasuke replied. He was fully aware of what his brother was doing. "He wants Naruto and the demon inside of him. Sakura was the perfect bait to lure that idiot right to him. And when Sakura sacrificed all of her chakra to get Naruto away from them, she sealed her own fate."

"I know. How long do you think until Itachi feels that Sakura has fulfilled her purpose?"

"I don't know. But Itachi is very..." Sasuke trailed off, trying to think of an appropriate word to describe him.

_Meticulous...yeah, but more then that...cunning...no, he is worse than that...__  
_  
After a moment Sasuke gave up and restarted. "Itachi won't kill her until he is sure that he has Naruto. So we have at least that long."

Shikamaru nodded his head. "That's about what I figured. I'm worried about Naruto though, he jumps into fights without any sort of strategy."

"That loser always rushes into things without thinking, and he wouldn't stand a chance against Itachi."

"Don't underestimate Naruto, as I said earlier, you haven't been back long enough to judge anybody's talents. But I hope Naruto tells Neji what Akatsuki is after. We can't even tell Neji the full weight of the mission. Man, how troublesome, damn Tsunade swearing us to secrecy!"

"Hai. Naruto is the only one that can tell others, but Neji has a right to know." Sasuke concurred.

OoO

"Shino." Lee looked over at his teammate.

Shino turned to look at Lee, but he remained silent, waiting to hear what Lee had to say.

"None of the villagers have any knowledge on Akatsuki or Sakura-chan." Lee reported. "Did your insects find anything?" He inquired hopefully.

"No, but I didn't really expect the civilians to have any information. Akatsuki has planned this out precisely; this is definitely a set up. They are like a deadly spider that has woven a perfect web, which even the most cunning insects would get trapped in."

**Hey everybody! OMG I have been busy! School starts Monday! Ugh! Oh well, ya'll read and review, thanks as always for reading.****  
**  
**Kia**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sakura was lying on her bed casually with her eyes shut, her face held a meditative appearance. Her hands were clasped behind her head, making a decently comfortable pillow for her head. Her pink locks splayed out, hiding her pale hands from view. Her chest rose slowly before falling again, maintaining Sakura's calm and peaceful attitude, allowing her to relax slightly and think about the predicament she was currently finding herself in.

_Damnit! It has been almost two days and nobody has brought me anything! I can't believe it, I am actually missing that blonde!_

**_They shouldn't be neglecting us like this!_**_****_

_We shouldn't be this dependant on them. As an ANBU member, I should be able to withstand hostile environments, mental and physical torture, deprivation of food and water...yet here I am annoyed that my captors are ignoring me. It is actually really sad.___

**_Well, we shouldn't be ignored!_**_****_

_Rather be ignored then tormented. Technically, I'm living a captive's dream. I have a bed, bathroom, water, food usually...and Deidara kept me company on top of that.___

**_Should have killed that bastard for calling us weak!_**_****_

_This is life without Deidara...we are hungry and bored. You can't want attention and want to kill the only person giving you attention.___

_**Fine! We can beat him to an inch of his life, and then heal him so we can kick his ass again!**__****_

Sakura rolled over on her left side. She brought both arms down, resting her left upper arm and elbow on the bed, while leaning into her left hand. Sakura's right arm stretched out slowly to touch the cold cement wall. Immediately, she felt the complicated chakra network integrated throughout the stone.

Slowly, Sakura rated her breathing down and forced all of her concentration into deciphering the intricate layers of chakra that held her within the room.

Her jade orbs disappeared as pale eye lids covered them. Her attention was only for the wall keeping her prisoner.

_Focus...that was the easy part. Now for the tricky part...damn Akatsuki, had to make this so damn difficult.__  
_  
Sakura drew a miniscule amount of chakra into her right hand. A while back she had found out that this room held some sort of chakra suppressant, just like her old cell. However, this room didn't drain her energy near as much as the last prison, and for that she was thankful. But that never stopped Sakura's curiosity at how the room actually worked, and she desperately wished to ask Deidara. But she always refrained, knowing that there was much more important information to learn.

Sakura felt her hand warm slightly as her chakra gathered.

_If I insert too much chakra, then it will disrupt the pattern, which will alert the other members that I was tampering with their jutsu. However, if I insert too little chakra, then it will dissipate and I won't be able to trace it, which would ruin the whole point. But, if I can get this right, I should be able to learn the sequence the chakra runs at and be able to stop the jutsu and break out when the time is right.__  
_  
Slowly Sakura pushed a small bit into the invisible boundary. Focusing all her energy, with her right hand still resting lightly on the wall, Sakura tried to follow her small strand of chakra.

"Damn." She cursed under her breath.

_Not enough, but I need to take it slow. I definitely can't afford alerting them before I'm ready to make my move.__  
_  
She took a deep breath to relax herself and tried again, adding the barest bit more chakra before fusing it with the wall.

Her eyebrows knit in concentration as she followed it's faint sense, before it once again became lost in the scattered chakras surrounding her.

_This is going to take a while. _She thought grudgingly as she sat up and crossed her legs to be in a more comfortable position.

Once again she closed her eyes and measured out how much chakra she wanted to use on her third attempt, and began the process all over again.

OoO

"Hey, I just remembered, have you been taking care of that kunoichi?"

Kisame stood near the counter with a small cup in his hand. His large hand grasped the nearby bottle of sake as he refilled the cup.

"No. We should bring her food tonight." Itachi answered.

Kisame was in the mist of downing the contents of the cup, but paused before the edge touched his lips once he heard his partner's comment. Slowly he brought the still full cup down near his chest while staring levelly at the Uchiha.

"What do you mean _we_? You promised Deidara that _you _would take care of that damn girl. I still say that she can fend for herself."

Itachi looked over at Kisame. His eyes narrowed a little as the striking scarlet met Kisame's small golden eyes unfazed.

Kisame knew that Itachi was annoyed and irritated, but he'd be damned before he ever tended to a pathetic kunoichi.

_Hell, if I had it my way, that damn girl would have died in that battle and nobody would have had to deal with her.__  
_  
Kisame's eyes never left the Uchiha as he raised the cup to his lips once again and downed the drink in one gulp.

_And if she had died, then I wouldn't have had to piss off Itachi again. _He thought annoyed. _But, I refuse to do it. I am one of the most powerful shinobi and they want me to bring food to someone else like a damn maid. That is insulting!__  
_  
Itachi finally stood up and turned to face the cabinet.

"Hn."

Kisame relaxed a little, inwardly laughing at how tense he had unconsciously become. He knew that Itachi's reply was acceptance for his decision, so the discussion was over and Itachi was going to deal with her on his own accord.

The burly bluish man watched his partner retrieve half a loaf of bread and an average sized cup of tea before exiting the kitchen silently, his cloak dancing about at his ankles.

"Should have let me kill her." He mumbled to Itachi's back.

However, the Uchiha never showed any sign of hearing the comment as he continued on his way, finally disappearing from Kisame's sight around a corner.

Unbeknownst to the mist-nin though, Itachi had heard, and he too mumbled his retort under his breath so Kisame couldn't hear.

"No, killing her then would have made life much more difficult.

OoO

Sakura huffed her annoyance at the difficult pattern.

_Damn thing! It's like the pattern is irregular! But, can they do that?! Is it really possible to fluctuate not only the interval at which the chakra is moving, but the amount of chakra running through the wall at any given time?!_

Sakura sat there, silently contemplating her situation.

She lost count a long time ago on how many attempts she had made, and had given into frustration.

Part of her wished to continue trying until the "code" was broken. That part had embraced the situation as a sort of challenge for her intelligence. But the other part of her wanted nothing more than to constantly beat against the chakra protected walls, even though she knew her punches would never reach the concrete.

_Calm down...be reasonable...calm down... _Sakura chanted soothingly while taking in deep breaths.

_Think about it, if I hit this wall once with chakra, they'd feel the disruption and come running with kunai in hand and jutsus ready to work. Figuring out the actual barrier is my _**_only _**_way out. Once I learn the pattern, my departure will be easy. With the pattern, I can easily neutralize each sensor without anybody's notice. They wouldn't even realize I have launched my attack until it was too late. It is a perfect plan, but I can't give up just yet, I have to be close to figuring out their jutsu.__  
_  
_No, I definitely can't give up yet. My life depends on me getting out of this room undetected. Besides, Naruto is so stupid he would fall for their bait and come running in here without thinking. So my escape determines his fate as well._

Sakura once again placed her palm against the wall and called forth her chakra. Her eyes closed as she concentrated on letting just the right amount of chakra blend with the barrier. Her hand glowed a light blue, barely visible for people to see as she prepared to merge her chakra into the concrete.

But suddenly, her hand quit glowing as her back went rigid. She brought her arm down to her side as she slowly looked around at the door. And there _he _was, standing silently, yet his presence gave off such a cold aura, Sakura had to suppress a small shiver that wanted to run down her spine.

_Shit! He saw me! Does he know what I was trying to do!? He has to know, right?! Damnit! Careless! How could I have let myself get so absorbed in this that I didn't even notice his presence?!__  
_  
Sakura watched his bored expression. She noticed his eyebrows knit slightly; however, the action was so minute, she wasn't even sure if it occurred.

She watched him begin to slowly, purposefully walk up to her. A slight bit of anticipation ran through her body, causing adrenaline to course through her veins and her shinobi senses heightened as he approached.

_It looks like I might be dealing with the Uchiha after all if he really does know what I was doing...damnit, I can't believe I was so careless!_

_**Sorry it is late and short, I know! But I'll try to make it up to you next time! But be happy! Itachi and Sakura are going to be interacting (or fighting, I haven't decided yet) in the next chappie! Take care and thanks to all of you that read this story!**_

_**Kia**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Onward my friends to the next chapter! School still sucks, I know that this is shorter then my past chapters, but it is either short chappies or longer periods of time before I update! Anyway I hope you enjoy! **_

Chapter 15

Sakura's mind began working out several different scenarios of what she could say or do, however, a problem arose in that she couldn't predict what _he _would do.

_There is no point in my trying to dissuade him of my actions. He isn't an idiot, and I'm not about to waste my breath or time._

_**Let's just kick his ass and be done with it already!**_

_There is no point in fighting him right now! Shut up unless you have a useful suggestion!_

_**And why the hell is there NO POINT in kicking this sorry bastard's ass right now!?**_

_If we fight him now, too much of our strength would be wasted, assuming we win against him baka! What would we do when the others come running over to see what is going on?! And this is still under the pretenses that we win! I know I can hold my own against Itachi, but I'm not positive I can beat him! He has more experience and a kekki genkai! Fighting now would ruin the whole point of befriending Deidara in the first place! Remember, the objective was to get him to tell us when Itachi wasn't going to be here so we could make our move!_

_**We can beat him. **_Her inner self said confidently before finally shutting her mouth.

Sakura grinned inwardly. Her inner self was often annoying when Sakura needed to concentrate and rarely helped out in fights physically, but mentally, her other self was irreplaceable and invaluable to her. Every time Sakura was knocked down and couldn't find the strength to stand up again, she could always depend on her other conscious to cheer her up and spur her on.

_Damnit! Focus! _Sakura chided herself for getting sidetracked.

Her eyes followed Itachi's lithe form as he closed the gap between them. Within seconds, the man stopped five feet away from her. Sakura maintained a simple, bland expression while bravely meeting his eyes.

_His eyes are forever cold as his thoughts are forever mysterious. _She thought solemnly.

The silence engulfed the two shinobi, as they stared at each other, both attempting to decipher the other's thoughts and future actions.

_She must be trying to think of an excuse. She is as foolish as my brother. It will be interesting to hear her "reasoning" for examining the wall at the very least. But it is irritating; she really thinks I don't know what she was attempting…_

_But, I must say, she is clever. This room is designed to suppress chakra in addition to making it difficult to summon and use. However, she seems to be exemplifying a lot of control over what little chakra she has under these conditions, especially since none of us even noticed her actions. If she has this much control in here, she must be a difficult adversary to predict in battle. I'm no longer surprised that Kisame lost to this kunoichi, she no doubt made him think she had little to no chakra while fighting them. Then, with such precision…_

His mind trailed off. The control that she must have perfected was unheard of in many shinobi. The few that did possess it, became dangerous adversaries to foes and a treasured shinobi within their village. Itachi was one of those shinobi, and he was beginning to believe that the young pink-haired girl before him, was one too.

OoO

"I've spoken with every villager. None of them have seen anybody matching the Akatsuki's description." Sasuke reported calmly.

However on the inside, the Uchiha was irritated. He had been moving from village to village looking for anything that might lead to his brother and Sakura, yet he failed to find anything and that pissed him off beyond belief.

_Damnit! Where the hell are you Itachi!?_

Shikamaru didn't even bother looking over to Sasuke. There was nothing to say and he had already predicted the report. So he stood there, his hands jammed into the pockets of his pants, silently brooding.

_Damn, how troublesome. I was really hoping we would be the group to get the tip off to their location. Akatsuki is going to plant the next clue to lead us somewhere else. This whole ordeal is in their hands. They are holding all of the cards, have control over all the characters…I'm beginning to regret splitting up. Divided as we are right now, they could easily overcome us._

"Oi Shikamaru!"

Kiba's yell brought Shikamaru out of his thoughts as he looked over to their other two team mates.

Kiba leaped from limb to limb in the sparse vegetation before being forced to cover the rest of the distance on the ground. Kiba nimbly dropped to the packed earth on all fours, before leaning forward and charging towards the two Konoha-nin on his feet; his canine companion a step behind.

Shikamaru waited patiently for the other two to join him and the Uchiha.

_Splitting the group up even further wasn't the wisest decision, but we had no choice. At least they all seem to be alive, Sakura would kill me if I let anything happen to any of them._

The group had agreed to meet at the spot four days ago. Sasuke and Shikamaru interrogated villagers from every town in their assigned area. Which took not only a lot of patience to complete, but much planning beforehand to ensure that every town was checked and that neither shinobi questioned a town that had already been examined by the other for traces of their enemy. In the meantime, Kiba and Akamaru were sent to check out the surrounding environment.

Shikamaru had already taken into account that the land would make it harder for Akatsuki to hide a base.

_Mostly rocks and dirt make it difficult to hide anything. _

The land actually made Shikamaru think of a conversation he had with Sakura once. They had been sent together on a mission to find a rogue ninja that had started up a group of missing ninja and rumor said that he was going to begin attacking small towns.

FLASHBACK

"Damn, this is so troublesome." Shikamaru grumbled annoyed.

"This mission shouldn't be too difficult, suck it up and let's go." Sakura responded.

"Che, forget that, this is going to take so much time. That asshole could be anywhere. This country isn't exactly the smallest place."

"True, but look at the environment, it isn't suitable to hide a place sufficiently." Sakura answered simply.

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru questioned, slightly irked that she knew something he didn't.

"There are few trees and less vegetation in this country unlike Konohagure."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Although many people overlook this detail as insignificant, a well-trained shinobi would become agitated with the loss. Forests serve several useful purposes to ninja. During battles, trees and brush become hiding places for surprise attacks and then become shields during attacks. While traveling, tree trunks and branches provide protection from long-range attacks, since shinobi must weave to move from limb to limb. A target moving at such an irregular pattern would be harder to hit then run running in a straight line between tree trunks or on the main path. But most importantly, forests provide cover."

"So, back in Konoha, a base could easily be hidden well enough that only those that know its whereabouts can find it." Shikamaru concluded.

"Yeah, so it won't be as difficult as it could be, ne? Imagine if it was in Waterfall? _That_ would be troublesome." Sakura pointed out.

"Hai, it would." He agreed.

END OF FLASHBACK

_It may be insignificant, but the Akatsuki are limited to where their base could be. _Shikamaru thought.

Kiba stopped a couple yards away from his teammates, an annoyed scowl plastered on his face. One look and Shikamaru's suspicions were confirmed.

_Akatsuki didn't plant their clue here. We need to head back __**now**__! I think Akatsuki predicted that we would do this, and I think they are going to take advantage of it!_

"You listening Shikamaru?" Kiba asked, further irritated by his teammate's lack of attention.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Shikamaru brushed him off.

"So I didn't find a clue, Sasuke couldn't find a clue…what about you?" he asked hoping that he friend learned something…anything…about Sakura's whereabouts. However, he already knew the answer to the question; he was simply clutching a blind hope.

"Idiot, if he knew something he'd have told us by now." Sasuke replied.

"Shut the hell up Uchiha!" Kiba yelled back.

Shikamaru sighed loudly while shaking his head in annoyance.

_I should have seen that one coming. Man, what a drag._

Shikamaru began walking off in the direction of their designated meeting place. The others would be arriving within a few days, but Shikamaru was only concerned about one group in particular.

OoO

"Tenten-san, I-I couldn't find anything." Hinata admitted sadly.

Her disappointment was evident in her eyes. The pale pupil-less orbs remained centered on her feet as she twiddled her thumbs in front of her.

Tenten actually felt sorry for the girl. She herself had never been one to care about what others thought about her, but to Hinata, acceptance was everything.

_As it was to Sakura too. _She reminded herself.

"Me neither Hinata-chan." Tenten admitted. "But, don't worry about it too much. It isn't your fault."

_Damnit! Comforting someone is something else I'm not really good at either nor care to nor do. _

"Come on, lets head back, Naruto is probably already there jumping up and down like the idiot he is." Tenten remarked trying to cheer up her teammate.

"Hai." Hinata agreed, her mood just as damp.

Tenten let out a defeated sigh.

_Nope, definitely not good at comforting or cheering up friends. Naruto told me that when Sakura was a genin she used to be able to make anybody smile. I wonder what happened to her…now she can just look at some ninja and strike fear through them._

Slowly she turned her back to the Hyuuga heir and began trekking back to their group's meeting place, silently pleading with whatever god would listen to let one of the others have learned something.

OoO

Shino and Lee moved steadily over the uneven ground.

Neither had turned up any clues in their search and were now silently brooding over their failure.

_Poor Sakura-chan. _Lee mused._ She wanted to become stronger so badly. We all worked our hardest to make the wish come true. She trained endlessly everyday, she never wanted to be called weak again. Yet in this predicament, I fear she might lose confidence in herself. I remember the day she asked me to help her train. _

_She was so unsure of herself, yet determined to achieve her goal. She was tougher than she thought she was. Being partnered with Sasuke and Naruto couldn't have been easy on her. She told me that she had always felt inferior to them. She said that Naruto was still an idiot, but he was loyal and trustworthy…she said that he never gave up, that he always protected her. Sasuke evidently saved her life several times as well. She was so afraid that she wouldn't be able to catch up to their level, that she wouldn't be able to measure up to them. And that was the one fear that she has always carried, the only fear that she still carries…not being good enough, not being able to protect those precious to her._

Shino too, feared for the girl. Shino had never expressed much emotion, nor did he ever grow attached to others, but Sakura's determination had always been an admirable trait to him. Sakura had saved his life several times in the past, not just through healing wounds but during battles.

_She would always throw herself in front of an attack if she could, sometimes to the extent of foolishness. He remembered asking her once why she put herself in the way of an attack, if she was fatally hurt, then nobody would be around to heal her, or the other shinobi that may need her. But all she ever did was give that sad smile, like she accepts whatever fate comes her way. _

OoO

"I couldn't find anything Neji." Naruto whined.

"I didn't either. We have completed our search of this area, let's head back."

"Nani? We can't go back empty-handed!" Naruto argued.

"Maybe one of the others found a clue, we need to return Naruto." Neji answered hoping to sway the shinobi to go willingly.

Naruto began grumbling under his breath, but he didn't argue to Neji's relief.

The two took off at an easy run. They weren't that far from their meeting place, and pushing themselves to get there faster would be pointless if they had to leave immediately to chase after their next finding. Nothing good ever came from over exertion.

_Wait! What's that!?_

Neji skidded to a stop and began searching their surroundings. Naruto ran a few steps past his partner before sliding to a stop as well.

"You feel it to Neji?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Hai."

"But, who is it? Where are they?"

Neji concentrated his chakra to his eyes before making a seal. Veins began appearing on the side of his face as his vision enhanced and his Byakugan activated.

Once again he scanned his surroundings and found the source of the strange chakra signature.

_I think we may find the next clue after all._

"Who is it Neji? Did you find them?"

"Yeah."

"Where?" Naruto asked impatiently.

But before Neji could answer, another voice replied for him.

"We are right in front of you yeah!"

Naruto's head shot up as he glared at the ninja.

He saw a large white bird, hovering above them, slowly descending so its occupant could be distinguished. Naruto glimpsed the black cloak with the scarlet clouds printed on it and immediately became filled with rage.

_It's Akatsuki! This man knows where Sakura-chan is!_

"Well, well. Look at how lucky we are Sasori-sama! It's the Kyuubi yeah!" the blond shouted down to his partner.

Naruto's attention snapped over to a red head that had just walked out from behind a large boulder. But Neji's attention was still on the blonde.

_The Kyuubi?_

_**I couldn't think of a suitable way to play out Sakura and Itachi's situation without it sounding stupid so ya'll are just going to have to wait another week, sry! Don't hate, appreciate (runs dodging flying objects)! But Neji is on to our Naruto! And now Deidara's and Sasori's mission is being exposed! Okay, I'll shut up, take care, thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**_

_**Kia**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**After much contemplation, and trust me I thought A LOT, I have finally decided how to unfold Sakura's situation…**_

Chapter 16

Both of their faces remained blank, neither moving, neither attempting to break the silence that was enveloping them.

_Damnit! _Sakura suppressed the small tremor that ran down her back. _How long is this asshole just going to stand here!?_

Sakura was quickly losing her patience. For the last several minutes the two had been giving each other vacant expressions. Their eyes boring into the other's mercilessly.

However, Sakura was feeling slight effects from the cold Uchiha.

_I can't believe that I'm daring to look at this bastard's eyes! All he has to do is summon some of his chakra to his eyes, and I'll be a lost cause. I broke out of his genjutsu last time, but that took every reserve of energy I had. I doubt I have half of the strength I did then, and even so, I won't be so arrogant to say that I can release myself whenever he decides to cast me inside. _

_No, the Mangekyo Sharingan's illusionary world Tsukuyomi is unique in most every possible way. To think that he can cause so much pain and anguish within such a few seconds is definitely intimidating. And I think that the effects of it on the victim are even worse that Itachi knows. Few people have most likely seen that hell more than once, but I only needed to see it once. Tsukuyomi doesn't simply make you feel like shit, exhaust your chakra, and leave you unconscious…it isn't that…simple. Tsukuyomi does something to the mind…and the scary thing is, is that I don't know what. But the more someone is exposed to it…_

Sakura grimaced internally. She knew a weapon of that magnitude should not even exist, and yet, the owner stood before her.

_At least such force isn't without consequence. _She thought morbidly satisfied. _His sight is slowly deteriorating. Leaving him further and further in darkness with nowhere to run and nothing to do. Right now he thinks that so long as his Sharingan is activated, he will be able to see. But he is wrong, once his initial vision is gone, his Sharingan will deteriorate too. _

_How amusing, he always calls Sasuke foolish, yet, he is so naïve it is almost laughable. To think that his kekkei genkai would save him…he has been even more foolish then he could possibly imagine. However, he is still in possession of Tsukuyomi, and for as long as he can he will be using it against innocent people._

At that thought, a wave of anger washed over Sakura and her eyes narrowed slightly. Itachi saw the rage flash in her jade eyes, however, the girl remained rooted in place, with no indication of moving anytime soon.

_Foolish girl, has she forgotten what I can do to her? She stands and stares where others in her predicament would cower. What makes her so brazen? And yet, she is undoubtedly intelligent…this kunoichi…Sasori was right…she is one to watch._

"Kunoichi." Itachi's smooth voice came curtly, demandingly, yet still softly. As if the very essence of his words commanded absolute obedience.

"Hai, Uchiha-san." Sakura smirked slightly.

Itachi's eyes scrutinized her endlessly.

_She is planning something. What is she thinking? There are no traps, she has no chakra. What could she be hiding?_

Their previous silence ensued again. Itachi waiting silently, his senses on high alert, began unconsciously preparing for some sort of opposition from the girl.

_She is too confident. _He thought irritably.

"Is there something you need Uchiha-san?" Sakura asked simply. Her voice devoid of any indicators to her thoughts.

Itachi stared blankly at her.

"What were you doing?" He asked pointedly, yet slightly intrigued as to what excuse someone as cunning as the girl before him could use.

"I suppose that depends on which day you had in mind. I have been doing many things. Deidara-san makes for interesting company. He has occupied much of my time, then the other day I spent most of the day in the bath. I have also spent a decent amount of ti-"

Itachi's patience was used up. His eyes narrowed as the red comas seemed to become more prominent on their blood red background.

Sakura knew that he was about to move. Her shinobi senses were screaming for her to sidestep to the right as she watched his body flicker out of sight. She knew where he was going, she knew what he was doing, she knew exactly how to thwart him, yet she stayed.

_Be calm. Don't move. Be calm. Don't move. Be calm. _She chanted to herself as her emerald eyes closed.

_He's coming. Let him. He won't kill me. Not yet. He won't give me up yet. He hasn't achieved his goal. Let him come. _Then her she smirked inwardly._ Let him think me weak. _

She felt the soft flutter of his cloak against her shins. Her eyes opened slowly, simply to measure his speed. And for once, Sakura's amazement shone through her eyes.

She knew the prodigy was fast, yet the accuracy and speed at which he moved…it was terrifying. She watched his body appear on her left, and with ease, Itachi's leg came up and around.

_I can see his speed, but I can't keep up! _She thought with a slight edge of fear.

No sooner, she felt his foot make contact with her side. Sakura felt the force of the blow crack a couple of her ribs as she felt her body thrown towards the other wall.

_Yes, I was right, he won't kill me. But killing and torturing within an inch of one's life are two different things, and he intends to use that difference. _

Sakura immediately felt the effects of his kick. The pain shot through her like thousands of knives. Her eyes closed momentarily to absorb the aches that momentarily blinded her senses. But this pain was something physical, something she could get rid of, something that _she _had mastered.

She quickly accumulated chakra towards her back, and within a second she made contact with the hard brick. Her head snapped back at the force that had sent her flying and a sickening thud indicated the chance of a concussion. The miniscle amount of chakra she had gathered at the point of impact didn't necessarily stop the pain, but it made it the throbs less agitating and sharp.

Sakura cracked her eyes open to see Itachi's left forearm shoot across her chest to pin her to the wall before gravity pulled her down. The pressure he put on her ribs and back caused her to wince slightly as she watched his right hand swiftly pull out a kunai and hold it to her throat.

_Don't fight back! Look scared! Look surprised! Don't fight back! _Sakura was trying to override her shinobi instincts as she managed to widen her eyes convincingly enough to make her capturer think she was surprised.

"You're expendable kunoichi. Don't forget." He threatened quietly, never changing the tone of his voice. Simply speaking with an icy bite underneath.

Sakura stared back into his eyes. She knew she had succeeded. Itachi was sure before their minor fight that he was stronger, now he was sure he could execute the girl within a second's notice…and that was Sakura's goal.

"Quit trying to escape. I assure you that if you are found outside of this room, you will be eliminated without hesitation."

Sakura stared impassively back at the Uchiha. There was nothing left to say, anything further might inform her capturer of her little act. And having him think her weak was a great asset right now.

Itachi stared at her for a few more seconds before stepping back and allowing gravity to cruelly drag her to the ground. Her green eyes never left his crimson eyes.

She was calculating and analyzing his every move. She was realistic, she couldn't keep up with his speed, but she could see his movements. She could predict where he was going to be, and she held the trump card…_he_ needed _her_.

Itachi turned on his heel and began walking out. She watched as he soundlessly glided to the exit before pausing, his hand resting lightly on the door knob. She watched as his head turned slightly around and his eyes rested on her.

"Kunoichi, you are mine. Don't forget that either." He said indifferently over his shoulder, before walking out and shutting the door, leaving the forgotten food on the small table by the entrance.

_**Okay, I didn't really have time to include any thing about the others, but at last, Sakura and Itachi's meeting!! I hope you enjoyed, I can't even begin to tell you how much time I spent trying to plan this meeting. It was really hard! I think I wrote it 3 different ways before coming up with this one. I'm not entirely pleased with it, but I can work with it. Take care and please review!!**_

_**Kia**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Well, another chappie down. This is another chapter that I had to do several times until I got right. How annoying, ne? Oh well, it just shows my devotion to you! Remember to tell me what you think at the end! **_

Chapter 17

"Well, well. Look at how lucky we re Sasori-sama! It's the Kyuubi yeah!" the blonde shouted down to his partner.

Naruto's attention snapped over to the redhead that had just walked from behind a large boulder, but Neji's attention was still on the blond.

_The Kyuubi?_

Neji's eyes flashed towards Naruto fleetingly, glimpsing the growing agitation surfacing on his teammate before shifting his eyes back to the air-born Akatsuki.

"Don't get carried away Deidara." The redhead reminded his partner nonchalantly.

"You bastards! Where the hell is Sakura-chan?!" Naruto yelled furiously.

Neji watched as Deidara descended slowly on the large bird.

"Don't worry Sasori-sama. I know our mission yeah." Deidara remarked casually before allowing a large smirk to grace his features. "I simply intend to share my artistic contribution with them yeah." He added.

Sasori shot Deidara a reprimanding look.

"_Don't _underestimate the Kyuubi Deidara." He replied sternly.

_Why do they keep talking about 'the Kyuubi?' Who are they talking about? Naruto and I are the only ones here…_

And although Neji already knew the results, he used his kekkei genkai to search the area around them. Predictably, he failed to find another presence. But he knew that already, it wouldn't have made sense anyway, the Akatsuki were challenging them, so 'the Kyuubi' was referring to one of them. Neji's brow creased in concentration as he rolled over the implications of their comments.

When Deidara's mount was three yards off the ground, the blond leaped off and landed lightly, with a smirk firmly on his face. His blue eyes traveled first to the demon container, then to the pale-eyed man beside him.

Deidara's smirk widened further as he watched the pale-eyed man's deep contemplation.

_He doesn't know that his partner is the Kyuubi? How amusing…it will be interesting to see him recognize that a demon container is standing right beside him. Maybe I should clue the guy in the right direction yeah._

Neji watched the excitement build up in Deidara's face.

_He knows something I don't! _Neji realized annoyed. _Think! Damnit…the Kyuubi…the Kyuubi refers to the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon that attacked Konoha a while back. The Fourth Hokage died protecting the village from that monster. But…come to think of it…nobody really says how he did it. If this man is referring to the Kyuubi here, then that means…_

Neji's eyes widened as the truth became clear to him.

_The Kyuubi refers to the Nine-Tailed Fox's container! Naruto must be the container! That was why Shikamaru was so opposed to Naruto's coming! He knew what the Akatsuki were after, and we just delivered it to them. _

Neji started feeling slightly wary of his blond companion with this new bit of information. Unconsciously, took a small step away from Naruto as he tried to let the facts sink into his mind.

_No wonder I lost to him during the chunnin exams…the other chakra that he used once I stopped the flow of his own was a DEMON'S chakra! The same demon that killed so many of our village's civilians and shinobi resides inside of Naruto! It explains everything…Naruto's unprecedented recovery rate, inconceivable amount of chakra…_

Deidara watched on as the scene before him played out. He didn't even need to do anything at all, the other ninja had already made the connection and currently recoiling from his revelation. And the best part was the crest-fallen Kyuubi who had realized exactly what this would result in…rejection.

Neji's vision now rested on Naruto, sizing him up, looking at the man he had so often called his comrade. Yet now, Neji wasn't sure whether or not he with Naruto, or against the demon inside of him.

Naruto stood several feet away from Neji, his feet still planted where he had skidded to a stop not three minutes earlier. Neji had a perfect profile of Naruto's side. Naruto had his head angled down, his blonde hair had created a veil covering the cerulean eyes from the onlookers view. His fist were clenched tightly and his nails were digging into the flesh of his palm.

"Neji…" Naruto whispered his name, but the pain Naruto felt was still audible in the single word.

Neji's eyes remained fixed on Naruto, though his still kept his senses open to pay attention to the missing-nin in their presence.

Naruto kept his gaze down, and his muscles visibly tightened as he tried to fight the fear that his friend would hate him, ignore him.

"…I'm still the same Neji. I'm still the one that gets into trouble back at home, I'm still the one that beat some sense into you during the chunnin exams, I'm still the one that spars with you and Lee, I'm still that one that protect all of my precious people, I'm still the one that has been your comrade during missions while we were genin, chunnin, jounin, and even now as ANBU…I'm still the same Naruto you've always known."

Naruto paused, finally, his head shot up as his eyes met Neji's with fierce determination.

_I will not lose Neji, he must understand! _His blue eyes revealed every feeling coursing through him.

"I may have a demon inside me, but it doesn't control me, I'm not a demon myself!" Naruto lifted his left hand unconsciously to where the seal was on his abdomen and clenched his shirt in frustration at the curse and blessing the Fourth Hokage had bestowed on him.

It was true that having the demon in him had made everyone hate him when he was a child. Thoughts of the evil he had sealed within him, thoughts of how much destruction the demon within him had done drove everybody away. But the fox had also saved his life. The chakra he had access to was filled with a power beyond belief, and the recovery rate the fox gave him was nothing to overlook as well. Several times he had wondered why the Fourth Hokage chose him and whether the hero of the leaf village meant for the demon to be his burden or his strength.

He had asked Sakura once, a few weeks before their mission to Mist.

FLASHBACK

"Umm…Sakura-chan?"

"Hmm…" she replied lazily.

The two had just finished sparring and were laying out under the stars. Practicing at night had proved effective in heightening their senses. Most missions were carried out under the cover of darkness anyway and with Sakura working in the hospital during the daytime, the setting became perfect in every aspect.

"Why me?" Naruto asked quietly. He didn't need to elaborate, Sakura already knew what he was asking about, she always knew.

"I'm not sure Naruto." She answered honestly. "It cold be as simple as you were just born at a bad time. If you had entered this world one day sooner, or even one day later, no doubt you wouldn't have it sealed inside you. But then again, maybe Neji-san was right about fate and destiny, ne? I mean, if the Fourth hadn't used you, who would he have chosen? Maybe he saw you as a sort of savior for the village. And if you didn't have the fox, then you'd be just like every other shinobi. The demon is like your own personal kekkei genkai in a way, nobody has a claim to it but you. You own power to use to protect the village and those you hold dear. Maybe that is why the Fourth chose you, maybe he knew, that despite your age, deep down, you are caring…"

Both were silent for a minute.

"Do you believe in fate Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked softly.

Sakura paused for a second, debating her answer silently.

She knew that back in her genin days she would have shouted yes without a second thought. Back then she wanted to believe that she and Sasuke were fated to be together…but she knew that was a long-lost fairy tales, and fairy tales were simply lies.

"No." She finally answered. "Fate is for those too weak to change their future."

END FLASHBACK

"Sakura once said that the demon was sort of my own private kekkei genkai. Back then, I didn't really think about it, but now I understand why she compared it to that. At first I couldn't see how she could pair up Sasuke's Sharingan or your Byakugan to this _curse. _But if you think about it, your Byakugan has its own burden, the burden the main house put on you. In a way, it is sort of like the burden the Fourth put on me. But both of our…_gifts, _as Sakura-chan would call them, give us tremendous strength for that price."

Neji watched the blonde before him as a small smile began playing at the corner of his lips.

_Naruto has truly matured in his time away from Konoha. _

"Hai, I guess I must agree with Sakura-san then. Neither of us asked for what we have, yet it is still our responsibility." Neji conceded at last.

_Yes, that is something that Sakura-san would say. She deserved much more credit then we ever gave her credit for._

Naruto's head cocked a little to the side as he smirked at Neji. Naruto opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when a soft laugh brought them back to terms with their situation.

"Heh. Who would've thought yeah?" Deidara remarked hautily. "You bore me. I expected a much larger show yeah. What about you Sasori-sama?"

"I don't really care how much they depend or trust each other. It is irrelevant and your little game has consumed enough of our time." Sasori replied curtly.

"Yeah, yeah. I was just thinking how ironic it is that these brats are going through so much trouble for that kunoichi yeah."

Naruto's anger returned in a second at the mention of his missing teammate. His eyes bled into a crimson color and glared at the blond in front of him.

"You didn't answer me earlier! Where the hell is Sakura-chan?!" He shouted again.

Deidara smirked.

"The pink-haired girl yeah?" He asked mockingly.

"I swear, if you hurt her!" Naruto threatened.

"Tsk tsk. I'm in charge of her fate yeah. So you don't want to irritate me now do ya?"

Naruto growled dangerously, but stayed rooted to the spot, not daring to jeopardize the life of his friend.

"Hiding behind a hostage? Heh, I thought Akatsuki was stronger then that." Neji remarked coolly.

"You're a Hyuuga aren't you?" came Sasori's calm voice, but he wasn't really asking, more like stating. "Hm, hiding involves us having the girl here. She has a purpose and we are exploiting it. Akatsuki doesn't need to hide from anything or anybody, ut after a comment like that, you may wish to hide from us." Sasori continued with a slight edge to his voice.

"Konoha shinobi never run, we don't even need leverage from a hostage. I guess Akatsuki has lowered its standards. Besides, when has a shinobi from Sand ever won against one from Leaf." Neji smirked.

Sasori's eyes narrowed

"Deidara, I change my mind, let's play for a little while. Besides, they will need to see both forms of our art to decide which one is better."

"Sounds like a good idea to me yeah." Deidara agreed readily before smirking at the two Leaf nins. "This might be fun, playing with the kunoichi is limited since we aren't allowed to do anything to her yet yeah." He added for extra measure as he saw both men tense up at the mention of their fellow shinobi.

OoO

"What the hell is taking the dobe and Neji so long?" Sasuke asked irritably to nobody in particular.

"You could care a little." Tenten pointed out a little annoyed at the raven-haired shinobi's lack of sentiment. "Naruto worried so much about you, and worked his ass off to drag you back to Konoha." She pointed out before murmuring under her breath. "Selfish bastard."

"Chill out, knowing Naruto he didn't want to come back without something to show us. Neji is probably debating on whether or not to lie to the idiot or knock him out and drag his ass here." Kiba voiced.

"W-what if something happened to t-them?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Like Neji would be caught off guard." Sasuke pointed out.

"And Naruto wouldn't go down without taking his opponent to hell with him." Shikamaru continued.

But they were all concerned. It was extremely unlike either shinobi to be late.

"Oi, Shino, do you have any bugs planted on them?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hai, I've already sent some messenger insects to intercept them and tell me their current location and predicament." Shino informed them.

"How long ago?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Twenty minutes. Depending on where they are, my insects should be returning soon." Shino replied.

"Never fear! Youth courses through them, they can overcome any obstacle!" Lee shouted exuberantly.

"Shut up!" Tenten shouted back while swiftly hitting him on the back of his head.

Shikamaru let out a light laugh at their situation.

_Hinata is obviously concerned for her cousin and boyfriend. She hasn't quit fidgeting yet. Lee is trying to lighten the mood with his damn 'youth power' sayings. Tenten is trying to distract herself with Lee's stupid remarks. Shino has already taken action to find out what is postponing them. I know that Kiba is worried, but he is doing a pretty good job of hiding it with the exception of his persistent finger. I don't think he has stopped tapping the side of his leg since we first arrived. The only one I can't figure out is Sasuke, and ironically, he is the only one that I want to know what he is thinking._

"Damn, this is so troublesome." Shikamaru said.

"They should have been here over an hour ago." Kiba reminded everyone glumly.

"I-I'm sure that Sasuke-san and Shikamaru-san are r-right. The others are okay." Hinata tried timidly to cheer the others up.

"Yeah, soon Naruto will bound in here with that goofy grin and complain about how Neji-san has a stick up his ass." Tenten conceded with a smirk.

Silence once again reigned over the large team. Several minutes passed in tense stillness…

…

…

…

Finally, Shino's arm reached out slowly as a small black beetle landed in the tip of his finger. Slowly, so as not to disturb the bug's perch, Shino brought his hand closer to his face.

All of the other ninja watched in apprehension as Shino's features betrayed nothing of the information the bug just relayed to him.

Eventually, the bug crawled under Shino's sleeve and the insect user lowered his arm to his side, while raising his head to face his comrades.

"We need to move quickly. Naruto and Neji were…delayed." He stated quickly while grabbing his pack and throwing it over his shoulder in one quick movement.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he stared at Shino.

"What is delaying them Shino?" he asked bluntly.

Shino looked over his shoulder at the Uchiha.

"Akatsuki." He answered simply.

_Damnit! _Was the only thought running through Shikamaru's mind.

_**Tell me what you think in a review! I was worried that I made Naruto a little too thoughtful, but my friend thinks that I'm not too off. Sorry there isn't any Sakura and Itachi in this chapter, but I can't go on with the story without this bit. So suck it up, they will be in the next chapter! **_

_**And just as a side note, WahKah, I have no idea who you are and no way to reply to you! I can't respond without you having an account, but I'd love to try and help you. I'd also like to thank JUCHKO, she has really been a big inspirational help and extremely supportive of this story in addition to having an awesome story herself (I highly recommend that you read it if you aren't already!) Well, thanks again for reading and Ja ne!**_

_**Kia**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Okay, ya'll, be reasonable, there is no way in hell I could possibly own Naruto and if I did I promise that Itachi would be in it a lot more cuz he is so damn cool!**_

Chapter 18

_Damn, of all the enemies and problems that could have arose, why Akatsuki? _

This was the only question that seemed to occupy Shikamaru's mind. Several situations could arise from a meeting between the leaf nin and rouge shinobi, and most of them held horrendous outcomes.

"Shino, do your insects know the description of which Akatsuki members challenged them?" Tenten asked.

"No, but I know their exact location. We should be there within five minutes at this pace."

"Geez, this is so troublesome." Shikamaru complained irritably.

_If Itachi is there, I don't know how long Naruto and Neji can deal with them. I don't doubt their abilities, I simply know _his. _He has something on his side that neither of them do…he won't hesitate to kill them. Naruto believes too much in justice, he couldn't bring himself to kill Itachi, despite having the knowledge of what that _monster _has done. And Neji…I'm not sure he would either. Neji is definitely more likely to deal a fatal blow, but that doesn't mean that Neji would. Neji was suppressed so much as a child and genin, forced to bear the load of protecting the main house, even losing his father to fulfill that requirement, that he'd probably understand Itachi's actions. Sadly, Neji would understand Itachi the best. He couldn't take the life of someone that had suffered like him. If Itachi pissed him off enough, he might, but Itachi isn't stupid. Once he learns that Neji has the byakugan, Itachi won't hesitate to finish him off as quickly as possible. A Hyuga can only obstruct Itachi from retrieving the Kyuubi, so the only solution would be to remove him…and Itachi doesn't simply knock out those that pester him…he completely annihilates them, starting with the mind._

"You knew we would have to fight them sooner or later. Sooner sounds fine if you ask me." Kiba replied to Shikamaru's earlier comment confidently with a smirk, breaking Shikamaru from his contemplating mind.

"N-Naruto-kun and N-Neji-kun are f-fine." Hinata tried to assure them; however, it became evident that the only person she was trying to convince was herself.

She kept her head down, as her hands wrung nervously in front of her chest. Though her eyes were directed to the ground, every now and then, they would dart up to check her surroundings before falling to the ground again. And during those few seconds, Kiba could see the fear and worry that was plaguing the Hyuga.

_It's a wonder she doesn't run into something keeping her head down like that. _Kiba thought amused.

"Never fear Hinata-san. Naruto and Neji are both extremely capable shinobi. I hold no doubt in their skill levels. I, who have declared Neji my arch-nemesis, have always lost to him. And Naruto managed to overcome Neji when I could not. They won't be taken down easily; we will make it in time." Lee added to comfort the nervous Hyuga.

"Heh, I'll bet that dumbass Naruto and Neji have already knocked those damn rouge ninjas out and are waiting for us to arrive so they don't have to carry them back to Konoha for questioning." Kiba added.

Sasuke remained silent. He knew that the chances of Kiba's scenario becoming reality were slim to none. And if they were up against his brother, Sasuke realized that the chances of the two ninja being dead before they even arrived was increasingly more likely.

_Damn, I should have guessed something like this would happen. It must be because of Naruto, I shouldn't have left that dobe's side! He is always getting into horrible predicaments. Besides, I should have figured that Akatsuki would go after their precious Kyuubi before any of us. But if it is Itachi there, Neji and Naruto don't stand a chance! Naruto has _seen _him and what he can do, but he has never _felt _the pain first hand. I have the Sharingan, so Itachi's sick mind games won't effect me as badly, but Naruto…_

"Sasuke."

The deep commanding voice pulled the Uchiha from his thoughts.

"Hn."

Sasuke looked ahead at Shikamaru. Their procession moved silently on the hard earth for a time. He watched the methodical movements as Shikamaru's legs glided across the ground surely.

_He doesn't have any special skill like Neji and Naruto. No kekkei genkai or suppressing secret, yet he is one of the deadliest men alive according to Naruto. How ironic, that Hinata, with the Byakugan, one of the most powerful innate skills at her disposal, would fall before his cunning tricks and elaborate mind games. His intellect and treacherous skills are enough to even make me a little wary of him. He is a genius from what Naruto told me._

FLASHBACK

"You have missed so much Sasuke!" Naruto yelled exuberantly.

"Heh, I haven't missed your loud mouth." Sasuke replied with a smirk.

Sasuke watched the blond as they sat down. Simply looking at Naruto was a huge contradiction in itself. Naruto, despite his looks, was incredibly strong; yet such power was hidden beneath a childish exterior.

He honestly couldn't help it. Picking on the blond shinobi seemed as natural as hating his brother.

The two had been sparring lightly earlier, and Sasuke intended to continue their practice, until Naruto complained loudly of hunger. At first, the Uchiha ignored his complaints as he had always done in the past, but as his own stomach began twisting to make loud hunger pains, Sasuke gave in.

The two were now leaning up their backs against a large tree in the middle of the forest. Naruto had brought food along with him to their minor match, and for once, Sasuke was glad that the blond put so much emphasis on food.

"Nani? I haven't missed your arrogant remarks either." Naruto replied smoothly.

_His tongue is sharper now. _Sasuke thought bemused.

"So, what has changed so much?" Sasuke asked slightly curious.

Understanding and gauging the strengths and weaknesses of other shinobi was integral to every ninja. Their strength may be your weakness, and their weakness may be your strength. But, sadly, every ninja wanted to know how they stood in regards to other shinobi because allies don't remain allies forever.

"Hmm…lots. I don't even know where to start actually." Naruto replied lamely, though Sasuke could see the boy deep in thought.

"Neji has become really powerful. He is a ANBU captain now…actually, most of us are ANBU now. But only Neji and Shikamaru are captains. Tenten didn't try--"

"Shikamaru has become a ANBU captain?" Sasuke interrupted suddenly.

"Uh…yeah. Shikamaru is one of the few that can say he has never failed a mission. He is usually sent on grab-and-go missions. They usually take lots of planning. Honestly, I don't see why you have to think so much. I told Shikamaru that they should just start breaking through a window and grabbing whatever they want. If any ninja show up, I'd kick their ass. Never want to run away from a good fight, ne?" Naruto asked rhetorically with a grin.

"Dobe, I feel sorry for Shikamaru having to listen to your blabbering of such idiocy." Sasuke remarked offhanded as he slouched further into the tree, allowing him a clear gaze of the clear blue sky above them.

"Hey! Take that back!" Naruto threatened annoyed as he sat up quickly and leaned over to glare at his newly returned teammate.

Sasuke smirked.

"So, Shikamaru is really that good huh?" Sasuke asked seriously.

"Yeah, I have never seen anything so thought out before. He plans for every little issue that could happen. We always know what to do in any situation, so we always succeed."

"Hn."

"And Sakura-chan, she has become really strong too. I heard that Granny Tsunade offered her a position as ANBU captain." Naruto continued as his face gained a far off appearance, as if entranced in the past.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his surprise breaking the façade that normally hid his true thoughts and feelings.

"Hai, but I heard that she turned it down. I wonder why…Sakura can be really…cold. Sometimes, she scares me…" Naruto's blue eyes gazed seriously at Sasuke's onyx depths.

"Dobe, you have always been afraid of Sakura." Sasuke retorted, however his thoughts as Sakura as an ANBU captain still bothered him.

_Sakura was always too weak, I can't think of time or situation where we didn't have to protect her._

"Don't underestimate her. She isn't the same twelve-year-old you knew…" Naruto voiced, as if reading into Sasuke's thoughts and banishing the slander before the words could pass his lips.

"Hn." He replied simply, yet deep in concentration.

END FLASHBACK

Sasuke began to wonder if their captain even had something to say.

_What is that conspiring mind of his up to? _

"We don't know what members they are fighting Sasuke." Shikamaru began at last, breaking the tense silence that had built up. "But, if it is Itachi, you will _not_ act rashly. Our first priority is Naruto and Neji right now, then Sakura. Your revenge is not tied into this mission in any sense."

Sasuke was a little annoyed at Shikamaru's comments, but didn't try to reject not accept them. Sasuke simply stared at the back of their captain, giving the man the attention he deserved, yet ready to disobey if it meant that his clan could be avenged. But Shikamaru wasn't done, and Sasuke watched as Shikamaru turned his head to the side a little, allowing his piercing gaze to envelope Sasuke.

"If you do anything to jeopardize their lives or my team's, I will not hesitate to remove you as an obstacle. Keep that in mind Uchiha."

Shikamaru's stare remained a few more paces before his attention fully returned to their destination.

_No, Naruto and Neji, don't have what it takes to kill someone without regret and hesitation, but I do._

OoO

"Damn you!" Naruto yelled angrily while forming a seal. "Shadow clone jutsu!" He yelled as four clones materialized around him.

Deidara smirked.

_He is so righteous…how pathetic._

Deidara's hands reached into the bags on either side of his legs. He felt the small mouths open as soon as his palm was within the folds of the bag's darkness. The slight stretch and tugging sensation on his palms informed him that the smaller aperture's were working the clay.

Naruto gritted his teeth at Deidara's confident smirk.

"Give Sakura-chan back you bastard!" Naruto ground out as he sprinted head on towards the other blond. His eyes narrowed while flashing to a color akin to blood. The facial markings on either side of his face deepened and as his fingernails grew longer…sharper…deadlier…

"Now what fun would that be?" Deidara asked tauntingly, further enraging the demon container.

Deidara quickly leaned to the right as one of the Naruto clone's fists went by where his face had been only a second before.

Naruto's surprise at missing his intended target was soon forgotten as annoyance and rage consumed him.

Deidara heard a low growl rumble from the boy's chest as the spiky haired blond stared at him with hate.

_The Nine-Tailed Fox has taken over his mind. He isn't thinking as logically, but his reflexes have increased dramatically._

Naruto swiftly changed tactics and swung his arm around, trying to catch Deidara off-guard after his last attack. But his fist only met the cold breeze of nothingness as he missed.

The first Naruto, that had just been engaging Deidara, stumbled forward after his last jab, just as two of his other clones came in from opposite sides at Deidara, performing a sort of slide tackle as they attempted to take out their enemies legs. Deidara glanced down once at the two replicas before pushing off the ground with ease, thrusting himself fifteen feet in the air while the two in motion slammed into each other and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Deidara landed lightly twenty or so feet away, but had to step back immediately as another clone stepped up to hit him. A roundhouse kick was easily sidestepped as another Naruto charged from the side.

Deidara was slightly surprised at the boy's speed, however the pitiful attempts to hit him seemed to be a waste of his time.

"Get some new tricks yeah." Deidara stated smugly as he once again prepared to take to the air.

"I already have!"

"What?" Deidara looked up to see the blond leaf ninja coming for him from above, aiming a punch right at him forcing Deidara to change his route.

_He is forcing me this way yeah! What is he planning?_

The rouge from Stone easily and fluidly changed directions, pushing off from the ground, away from the three attackers. The quick change in direction forced Deidara to roll once on his shoulders before he regained his footing again and slid another ten feet to a stop.

_He adapts to his opponents yeah. Interesting..._

"Tsk tsk. You aren't planning on saving Sakura-_chan _with that technique yeah?" He jibed.

"No, I intend to use this one." A deep feral voice sounded quietly next to his ear.

Deidara's blue eye widened in surprise. There was a fourth Naruto, and this one was currently holding a kunai to his throat.

_When did he make another clone yeah?_

But the initial shock quickly faded into a smug look as the mouths in his palms fed his hands some smooth clay.

"Well, I'm afraid that still isn't enough to save Sakura-_chan_ yeah." Deidara remarked as he clenched his fists and worked the clay. Within a couple seconds, Deidara opened his palms, and several small white insects crawled out of his hand and onto Naruto.

Naruto's blue eyes widened in surprise as his grip on the missing Stone-nin loosened.

"What the h--?!" he shouted as Deidara broke free of his grasp.

His arms immediately began working to brush the small white bugs off of him. The small insects spread out, covering every limb. Naruto felt a small panic begin to rise up in him.

"Art is most admirable when it comes fleetingly yeah." Deidara remarked casually, as if simply watching an artist's paintbrush work slowly over a canvas.

Naruto began furiously ripping the black and orange jacket off his shoulders.

Naruto looked up to meet Deidara's eyes before a loud bang sounded as all the insects clinging to Naruto exploded and Naruto's scream stilled the air.

OoO

Neji flashed a quick glance over his shoulder at Naruto.

"You best pay attention to the fight your in before dealing with someone else's problem." Sasori remarked blandly.

"Just making sure Naruto wasn't going to get too bored fighting your friend."

"You know, you have a big mouth."

Sasori slowly, deliberately reached behind his back and pulled out a scroll.

Neji's eyes narrowed at the rolled parchment.

"Let's begin, I look forward to adding a shinobi from Leaf to my collection, and a Hyuga nonetheless, that will be an interesting contribution. Just imagine all the tricks I could make you do." He smirked while making a seal and releasing the chattering puppet.

Neji stared at the horrendous sight. It was hunched over, yet looked extremely sturdy. The sun glinted off the smooth metal of its scorpion-like tail. The metal was double jointed, giving it the suppleness necessary to make quick precise attacks. The tail seemed to come out of a large mask's mouth that covered the puppet's back, like some sort of twisted shield, and as if some sick ironic joke, the mask's expression was happy, it was smiling. Neji watched as the puppet bent over, its arms barely held above the ground. On its left arm, an odd weapon was mounted, but what caught Neji's attention was the puppet's face. The marionette didn't have an ugly face; it was simply so life-like that an involuntary shudder ran down Neji's back.

_Was that once a person?_

Neji quickly berated himself for thinking something so absurd as his arrogance and confidence returned in full.

"Heh, if you think that your puppet stands a chance against the byakugan, then you are more delusional then I thought." Neji retorted as his own hands formed a seal and focused his chakra to his eyes.

Neji closed his eyes for a second as small veins began creeping along the side of his face. When his eyelids opened, his enhanced vision traced the chakra strings attaching the puppet to its master. Once again, he felt himself calmed by the simple ability to see through his opponent's attacks.

"We'll see how you fare against Hiruko." He stated calmly as his fingers began moving the strings on his puppet and it launched towards Neji.

Neji's eyes narrowed as he quickly calculated its speed and precisions. When the puppet became close enough to hit him, Neji forced chakra to his feet and pushed off the ground with ease, twisting in the air, he flung four kunai towards some major joints in the puppet.

The steel knives were knocked out of the air by the puppet's tail, then the strange appendage stretched forward to attack Neji. The Hyuga couldn't hide the mild amount of surprise that crossed his face as he pulled out another kunai and met the sharp point of the tail in midair.

_Damn, he can manipulate it so quickly and easily._

Neji pressed a little more pressure on the top of his weapon, averting the tail's tip down as his body was forced up. He landed lightly on top of the metal appendage before pushing off once again and landing lightly on his feet on the hard earth several yards away.

_This is going to be much harder then I thought. It is like the puppet works off of his own thoughts. I have never seen anybody fight so precisely and accurately with a puppet. It is truly astounding that he is an excellent puppet master._

"Get ready."

Neji watched as the redhead's fingers began twitching and moving rapidly. His body tensed in preparation for whatever assault the Sand-nin wished to throw against him. Then he saw it…hundreds…no, thousands…of projectiles flew from the puppet's left arm.

_Damnit! I should have guessed that this was what it was for. _

Neji began twisting in a tight spin and sending chakra out, creating an impenetrable wall of chakra, as the senbons fell worthlessly to the ground.

"Che, I forgot about that little technique." Sasori murmured under his breath as he ceased his assault.

_No point wasting all the ammo, he'll just block them all. But I know something that even the Hyuga clan can't escape._

"Stop this Hyuga." Sasori warned mockingly.

Neji's rotation slowed down as he stopped facing his adversary, the chakra wall slowly dissipating as the blue faded into the wind. He watched on as the puppet charged towards him, when suddenly, a blood-curling scream sounded.

His attention was immediately diverted to Naruto.

His eyes took in Deidara's smirking face. He stood looking so pleased with himself. His hands hanging loosely at his sides as a cloud of dark smoke wafted nearby. His body tensed at the thought of Naruto being caught in the explosion. But Neji already knew that Naruto had been in the assault, and now, Naruto's condition behind the smoke concerned him.

"Don't forget me." Sasori's light voice sounded as a single senbon was thrown towards his heart. Neji easily caught the small weapon, but he wasn't prepared for Sasori's next attack.

OoO

_Arrogant asshole! Who the hell does he think he is?! I belong to nobody!_

Sakura was still fuming from their encounter only a few hours ago. The food still sat untouched in the corner.

_I can't believe he had the gall to say that I belonged to him!_

_**I told you already! Kick his ass to make him regret it! **_

_I should! But for now, I need to try and understand what he meant. They wouldn't waste their time dealing with me when there is much weaker bait out there for Naruto. But then again, with me as bait, Naruto won't think as clearly and I can't help him. Though, right now, they are probably wondering how I ever helped him._

She had to smirk at that one. Allowing Itachi to knock her around wasn't easy, and honestly, she doubted that she could have beaten him with her current situation, especially in her current state.

_That ass said though that I was only dead if I stepped out of these halls. So technically, they won't kill me unless they see the need arise. That alone is interesting information. In Konoha, we killed several shinobi we captured on black op missions simply because they lacked any useful information and usually bored us. So why is Akatsuki naming me so important that they can't kill me?_

_**Okay, I edited the chapter up **__**some**__**, I wasn't pleased with the initial upload. Sorry for those that already read the preciously sucky chapter, and I hope that those who didn't read it enjoyed this chapter! Take care and review. Thanks for reading!!**_

_**Kia**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**Another chappie down!! Oh, and I still don't own Naruto for any of ya'll too dimwitted to figure that out.**_

Chapter 19

"Don't forget me." Sasori's light voice sounded as a single senbon was thrown towards his heart. Neji easily caught the small weapon, but he wasn't prepared for Sasori's next attack.

"What the-?!" Neji's left arm immediately flew to cover his mouth and nose and clenched his eyes shit as a purple gas began to surround him.

_Damnit! It is some sort of fume! Sakura-san told me a little about some, but I've never heard of a _purple _gas! I don't even know what it is for! Sakura-san told me that gases can be used in several situations with varying reactions!_

FLASHBACK

"You're going to die if you don't learn these." Sakura said annoyed. "You're the captain of your squad, you need to know when a gas is a weapon or cover, and if it is a weapon, what it attacks."

"I don't doubt the usefulness of this knowledge, but I don't get how the hell you can possibly identify a gas visually." Neji replied frustrated.

"I'm telling you how, so pay attention."

"And if I can't identify it, we are all going to die." Neji added sarcastically.

"Yes, Neji-san, you _will_ all die, and it will be all _your_ fault since you were in charge of the mission. You don't seem to understand the different tendencies that gases can take on. For example, I can use this gas and your eyes will become completely useless to you. If renders the victim blind, depending on the different concentrations of the gas, you could be blind for an hour or the rest of your life."

That comment caught Neji's attention.

"Blind you forever? Is that really possible? I thought all gases had temporary effects."

"You thought wrong. When we were younger, that is all we were given due to lack of experience. It would be rather pathetic if our genin were forced to quit prematurely due to using something so potent that it would paralyze some one. There is no sense in taking that risk, but we are moving up in the ranks with harder missions and deadlier…_toys_…to harm one another with."

Neji flinched a little at Sakura's wording.

_Toys! What an interesting term to use…but Sakura has always been a little ironic. How amusing…but how does she know so much about toxic gases? I thought she was learning about medicines and how to save people. Is Hokage-sama teaching her how to kill people with these methods?_

His eyes narrowed a little as he regarded the kunoichi critically.

"Do you know how to make such weapons?" He asked hesitantly.

Sakura was silent as she stared back at the prodigy of the Hyuga clan.

"No." She finally answered quietly. "I know how to make much worse." She answered truthfully.

Neji maintained a calm exterior; however, his mind was racing.

_Sakura…san…"much worse"…what is much worse? What happened to the quiet, peaceful, innocent girl we use to know? Such thoughts and actions would have repulsed her a few years ago. What have you become Sakura?_

Neji finally gathered his thoughts and asked the question that he wanted--no--needed her to answer.

"How much worse Sakura-san?" Neji whispered, as if asking a forbidden question.

Sakura directed her gaze to the small pouch at her leg. She held such foreboding weapons with her, yet whether or not she should tell him she made, much less used, such weapons.

"You have no idea how horrible…you have no idea what I could do to you with a simple gas. I could simply sedate you into a dreamless sleep, I could stop your lungs from breathing, or…" Sakura whispered back, even quieter, trailing off at the end of her sentence.

Neji was leading a team against a very dangerous poison specialist. In lieu of this, Tsunade had told her to educate Neji on different toxins that could be used against him and his team. Unfortunately, Neji had been slightly less than excited about this, so maybe going into a little detail of what different gases could do may allow Neji to see the importance in this information.

Neji stayed silently, patiently waiting for her to finish.

Sakura finally made up her mind and directed her gaze from the scenery around them to Neji's eyes, levelly staring at him.

Sakura's right hand moved to the beige pouch that was securely attached to her upper thigh. Neji's eyes never left her own, as Sakura bent down a little to grab something out. Slowly, she righted herself and brought her right hand up until it was level with their face.

Finally, Neji's gaze moved to the small ball she was holding between her thumb and forefinger.

It was small, and the only mar on the smooth surface was a single line that separated the two halves.

"Imagine, something so potent, that it shut down your abilities to function properly. You'd have no voluntary, controllable action in your arms or legs, yet your mind was still intact to think freely. Now, this gas slowly spreads through your bloodstream, and as more and more of it collects within your organs, they shut down one by one, and I assure you, there is no pain equal to the torment your body failure causes. But you know what the worst pain is to a shinobi through this ordeal?"

Sakura looked at him thoughtfully, but her gaze seemed far off, as if reminiscing. Neji, remained unmoving as he listened for the kunoichi's answer.

"The worst pain…" she began again. "…is knowing that you can't do anything. Leaving the mind intact, forces this realization on the victim. And slowly, painfully, you will die, and you already know it yet you are powerless to do anything."

Sakura's eyes suddenly cleared as she refocused herself on Neji.

"Now." Sakura said sharply. "Imagine this poison, in a small ball, a weapon that even an infant could hold." Her right hand clenched the small weapon as she reached forward and dropped it into Neji's hand.

"And that is only the beginning of what a gas could do. Think of what a poisoned senbon or kunai could do, those go directly into your bloodstream."

Neji's body stiffened as the small ball was placed in his hand. So light in weight, so easy to use, and so inhumanly deadly.

_Shinobi always hated fighting with the Hyuga clan because we attack what they can't protect. No matter how hard a shinobi trains, they can't protect their heart or chakra points. We don't attack physically, but after listening to Sakura…I think I have finally found something worse then the byakugan. We of the Hyuga clan must still practice endlessly to use our kekkei genkai accurately, but _this_—_this _can be used by an infant unknowingly. This is simply cruel, and Sakura has it in her arsenal._

"Show me more." Neji said finally, his hand clenching around the weapon.

_I will learn this! My team will not fall to such horrible weapons._

END OF FLASHBACK

_Sakura never mentioned a purple gas. She told me that knowing every type of poison was impossible, so what the hell am I supposed to do about this one?! Damnit! I need to get to Naruto! I'm running out of air too! I have no other choice, I don't know what is waiting for me, but I'm going to find out._

Neji immediately gathered chakra to his feet, and pushed off the ground, propelling himself into the sky. He felt the suffocating gas roll off his body as he was suffused into the clean air.

After a second, Neji dared to open his eyes, and was immediately appalled. The gas had spread everywhere, and was still moving to take over the ground. Sasori stood emotionless as ever, but his eyes remained set on Neji.

The puppet continued its barrage, still spewing the unidentified poison.

_Shit! _

"Naruto!" Neji's eyes rested on the blond shinobi in shock as his comrade lay motionless on the ground.

_Naruto-he won't die-he can't die!_

Neji landed several yards from the poison he had just escaped. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Neji began rushing over towards Naruto.

_He can't die…he can't die…he can't die…_

Neji repeated over and over in his mind. He couldn't remember a time he was this worried. Shinobi often lost their lives, it was a fact of life and a risk in the profession, but Naruto was different, he important to Neji. Naruto had changed Neji's perspective, had opened up a new way of thinking and living. Naruto had rescued him from the darkness of hate and anger that he had once been enveloped in.

Deidara watched in amusement as the pale-eyed boy began rushing to the Kyuubi's aid.

_I still can't believe that someone as strong as Itachi came from a village full of shinobi as weak as these brats yeah._

The blond Akatsuki member took a few steps towards the blond boy face down on the ground. But predictably, the pale-eyed boy stepped between them, a fierce anger shining through his eyes.

"You won't touch him." Neji said in a low tone, an edge evident in the voice.

Deidara smirked.

"Heh, how honorable…protecting your friend, even though he holds a beast that killed members of your family and your friend's family. I wonder what Konoha would say if they knew that he harbored such a monster and what they would think about you protecting him yeah." Deidara drawled.

Neji grimaced.

"Sh-Shut…the…hell…up."

Both men turned around surprised.

Naruto, was struggling back up. His face was still tilted towards the ground, hiding his expression, and a slight tremor could be seen in his elbows at the strain.

"Naruto-san…" Neji whispered quietly in disbelief.

_After an explosion like that! How is he still conscious?!_

"G-get out of my way Neji." Naruto began slowly. Sharp intakes of breath could be heard as Naruto pushed himself up on one knee.

Neji smirked.

_I was right, he won't die._

Then Naruto's face flew up to meet the cold blue of Deidara's eyes.

"He's mine!" Naruto growled ferally as he staggered up on two legs. Neji saw his comrade sway back a little, back Naruto quickly regained his balance, then charged head on.

"You asshole! Where is Sakura-chan?!" Naruto yelled as his kunai met Deidara's.

"Heh, and to think that you're still worried about her in your condition yeah." Deidara replied thoughtfully.

_Why are these ninja so loyal to one another yeah? Why go through so much trouble for another shinobi? Don't they know that they are all simple tools, disposable once they dull?_

Deidara became irritated at the shinobi's persistence.

_What is so special about _her _anyway yeah? They will all be separated eventually anyway, through missions or death it doesn't matter! Why do they care so damn much yeah!?_

Deidara's eyes narrowed in annoyance as Naruto's determination glowed furiously in his eyes and the Kyuubi's assault never lost its original fervor.

Sasori watched the two blonde's continue to fight. His original opponent wasn't currently bothering him, and hadn't interfered with Deidara yet, so he saw no point in engaging again with the boy.

_Deidara seems to be getting a little too serious. But these two are quite a pair. The Hyuuga is skilled and the Kyuubi has too, grown in skill. He seems to be able to harness the demon's powers without having to focus anymore. If that little brat continues to improve like this, he will become a pain to deal with. But then again, if I let Deidara continue as he pleases, one of them is going to hit a breaking point and kill the other. I currently don't care to have a new partner, nor do I care to have Leader made at me for allowing Deidara to kill the Kyuubi. I suppose I should go interfere, Deidara seems to have forgotten the initial purpose of our coming here. He is too emotional, but I wonder…what got him so riled up? _

The red-head moved swiftly. Timing the blonde's close-range battle, he waited until they separated before sending in his Hiruko between them.

Deidara immediately recognized the puppet and stopped, however, Naruto had no intention of letting up as he charged towards the new opponent.

"Outta my way!" Naruto screamed as he jumped into the air and threw a barrage of kunai at the puppet.

Sasori lazily flicked his wrist and the puppet's tail batted away the weapons like a flyswatter dealing with pestering flies.

"Deidara, don't get carried away. You're forgetting our purpose for coming." Sasori told his teammate calmly.

"Aw, I wasn't going to kill him Sasori-sama." Deidara replied a little irritated for the interruption.

"Let's go, we have accomplished what we set out to do." Sasori informed him curtly.

"I guess we will have to play more later yeah." Deidara said turning to face the enraged blonde.

"Why delay your ass kicking?!" Naruto retorted immediately.

"Heh, don't get too cocky yeah." Deidara chided sarcastically, further enraging Naruto.

"Why you-!" Naruto began charging forward again.

"Naruto-san!" Neji cut in quickly.

Naruto froze mid-step as he cocked his head to the side a little to see Neji.

"Nani?!" He asked irritated.

"We need to hold them for another minute. Don't do anything stupid." Neji responded, lowering himself into the gentle-fist technique.

Naruto stood up a little in confusion, as his brow creased. But it didn't take him too long to figure it out.

"Hai." Naruto answered confidently turning back to face their opponents.

"So, they finally noticed." Sasori observed casually. "Come on Deidara, I don't care to deal with an infestation of roaches, two were enough."

"Who are you calling a roach you son of a bitch!" Naruto fired off.

Deidara's smug face once again shined through at getting a rise from the Kyuubi. Slowly, Deidara brought his closed right hand up until it was level with his chest.

"Sorry little kiddies, we'll see you again soon yeah." With that, Deidara opened his balled fist, and four white birds immediately flew from it.

Neji was confused by the birds' appearance, but got into a defensive position, studying the small creatures intensely.

Naruto, was a little slow on the uptake, but finally, the realization dawned on him.

"Damnit! Neji move! They're bombs!" Naruto yelled quickly.

"Shit." Neji muttered as he jumped back to dodge the charging birds.

The first of the two birds crashed into the ground, as the two leaf ninja leaped back. As soon as they landed though, the other two bombs were waiting.

The two immediately jumped back again as the second round of bombs plummeted towards their location. Landing lithely, several yards away from the last volley, Naruto strained his eyes to see through the smoke, futilely attempting to see their attackers.

Neji's byakugan pierced the screen with ease, but he already knew what he'd find.

"They are gone Naruto." Neji informed his friend as the dust settled.

"Then why are we still here?! We need to go after them!" Naruto proclaimed immediately.

"The others will be here soon, let's wait for them. We need backup. After the hit you just took, it would be suicidal to go after them without more ninjas. Think rationally Naruto!"

"And since when has rational thinking ever been something that Naruto did?" A voice drawled lazily behind them.

The two battle-weary ninja turned to face their comrades.

"Shikamaru! Are you okay? We just fought Akatsuki!"

"We know dobe! Why the hell do you think we are here?" Sasuke commented sarcastically.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto excitedly ran over as his friends stepped on the battle-scarred land.

"A-are you okay, N-Naruto-san?" Hinata asked timidly.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto immediately ran over and enveloped her in a hug. "I'm fine. Are you okay?" He asked concerned, while stepping back to give her a once over, causing the Hyuuga heiress to blush.

"H-hai Naruto-san." She answered quietly trying to hide her blush.

"But your face is all red. Do you have a fever? Hmm…I know! You're tired aren't you? You shouldn't push yourself so much? Sakura-chan use to do the same thing, you should rest up-unless you do actually have a fever…do you?" He asked earnestly.

"No, Naruto-kun, I-I'm fine." She replied quietly. Naruto looked at her skeptically, but finally, he seemed satisfied that Hinata was okay.

"Oi, Kiba. Hey Akamaru. Long time no see, ne?" Naruto greeted them.

"Are you alright Neji-san?" Tenten asked concerned as she took in Neji's dirt-laden clothes.

"Hai. We are both fine. But Akatsuki just ran off, we need to move to try and track them." Neji answered. "Kiba, can you and Akamaru track their scent? We won't be able to move as quickly as them, but so long as we don't lose their trail, it'll be just the same."

"Hai. Akamaru!" Kiba urged his canine companion forward, and both lowered themselves to the ground, trying to find the trail.

"How did you find us so fast?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You have Shino to thank for that." Lee answered.

"Shino?" Naruto looked over to the quiet man. "How did you find us so fast Shino?"

"Simple. I already knew where all of you were at all times. I planted an insect on all of you. So if something happened, my bugs could lead me right to you." He replied.

Naruto nodded.

"Oh. Then did any of-" Naruto began before Kiba's voice cut through the air.

"Found it!" Kiba shouted several yards away.

"Good. Move out." Neji answered, and immediately the leaf nin rushed forwards in pursuit.

OoO

_Damnit! I'm never going to figure out this damn pattern!_

Sakura was just about at wits end with the barrier surrounding her. She had been working on it ceaselessly, and once, she even thought she had figured it out. But, then it was like, there was a shift, and the barrier reformed to a new sequence.

Annoyed, she reclined back on her bed. She crossed her arms behind her head, to create a pillow as she gazed at the ceiling silently.

_I am starting to hate walls more and more. And worse yet, I have to deal with Itachi. Granted, we haven't fought since our first encounter, but that bastard is impossible to get information from. He doesn't even talk, how the hell are you supposed to hope for information out of him? _

Silently, Sakura fumed over her situation.

_Looking at the bright side, I'll know that the bastard is on a mission when he doesn't show up, but I'm not sure that is worth putting up with him. He is so arrogant and cocky, hell he is worse then Sasuke and Neji put together. The only difference is, that Itachi can probably live up to that cockiness…both Sasuke and Neji have lost to other ninja. I remember reading somewhere in one of Tsunade's files that Itachi has never lost a fight. I am sort of curious how I'd measure up, but that is too risky. _

_**Risky my ass, just fight the bastard! You know you want to…**_

Sakura sighed in annoyance. She would always want to do one thing over another, however, her reasonable side always knew the difference between wants and needs. And although she wanted to knock the arrogant bastard a few times, she needed to keep calm and play up the "weakling" kunoichi card as far as she could.

_Life is just easier this way. Why let them know my capabilities and lessen my chances of escaping rather them letting them believe the opposite and allowing them to let their guards down?_

A loud creak sounded through the room. Inwardly, Sakura flinched, however, to onlookers, Sakura kept her cool, and didn't show the source of the sound any mind.

_There is no point in looking anyway, I already know what I'll see._ She thought solemnly.

"Have you given up?"

Sakura's eyes wandered over to the black-cloaked man by the door. She was a little surprised that he actually said anything to her. No words had been exchanged since their scuttle a few days ago.

"No." She answered honestly.

_No point in lying, he probably already knows the answer to the question anyway._

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the girl.

_Why did she openly admit to it? Any other prisoner would have denied such claims, especially after being proven weaker. What is this girl up to? _

"You are either brave or stupid kunoichi." Itachi responded flatly.

Sakura slowly sat up. Her gaze drifted slowly to the desk in the corner, before she let out a low sigh and stood up gently from the bed.

"Really? I think I've been told that before. Can't you be more original?" Sakura answered just as blankly as her gaze returned to the shinobi before her.

At that comment, the rouge ninja was a little taken back. He wasn't sure whether to smirk at the absurd remark, or knock the insolent girl out. However, the decision wasn't too complicated in any case, so he'd compromise.

Sakura watched as a sneer surfaced on his face. She knew what was coming.

_Shit! _

Sakura watched as Itachi charged towards her two steps, before disappearing.

_Damnit, he's coming from the right! Don't react! Don't react! Don't react!_

Sakura braced herself for the hit, forcing chakra to the right side of her body to help absorb the blow and minimize damage.

Unconsciously, Sakura's eyes darted to the right, she watched as Itachi came at her, she knew that he was going to hit her, yet she knew that stopping the hit would only end in more pain.

_Don't react! Don't react! Don't react! _

Her body tensed up, ready to receive the blow, and she bit down on her inside lip, willing her body to stay still.

_Don't react! Don't react! Don't react!_

_**MOVE!!**_

_Don't react! Don't react! Don't react!_

_**Damnit! MOVE!!!**_

_We don't have the strength to take him! This room is depleting our chakra, and trying to neutralize the barrier is only taking more! Don't react! Don't react! Don't react!_

Sakura's watched as Itachi stopped abruptly in front of her. Itachi took in the expression of Sakura's cold emerald eyes that stared back at him, calculating his movements, as if daring him to strike her.

"Don't forget your place." He whispered softly in her ear.

After that second's hesitation, Sakura saw Itachi's left arm go across his body, and in one, quick, fluid motion, his elbow made contact with the right side of her ribs. Sakura felt the air being forced from her lungs as her eyes widened a fraction before wincing at the pain.

_Damn him!_

Sakura's entire body was thrown to the side from the force of the hit. She tried to ignore the pain, but it seemed to sear into her like hot irons.

_Focus! I'm fine! I need to watch him, he didn't hit me as near as hard as he could have! He is going to strike again! _

Sakura felt her body being slung through the air, and she clenched her eyes in preparation for the next bit of pain she was about to endure. And she wasn't disappointed.

Sakura's eyes shot open as the front of her body collided with the wall. She could already feel bruises forming over her arms, chest and head. Just the thought made Sakura close her eyes as she absorbed the torment her wounds were giving her.

Slowly, Sakura felt the effects of gravity begin to take hold as she began slipping to the floor. But as her knees began to bend, she felt Itachi's presence appear behind her. Once again, Sakura's eyes flew open.

_Damn him!_

Immediately, she felt the back of Itachi's arm go across her lower back, pressing relentlessly against her broken ribs and efficiently pinning her to the wall.

The sudden pressure sent a wave of pain through the kunoichi as she let out a small whimper. Itachi's other arm then went diagonally across her shoulders, forcing her bruised face against the wall, as his hand pressed the tip of a kunai directly against her throat.

Itachi watched in amusement as a small bead of blood dripped down from the sharp end of the weapon.

"Kunoichi, why didn't you counter my attack?" Itachi asked evenly.

"Why do you think asshole?" Sakura asked back, sending her into a small fit of coughing as a small stream of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.

"You saw my movements, you knew what I was going to do. Why didn't you counter?" he asked again with a little more edge to his voice.

Sakura froze.

_He knows? Does he really know? Has he figured me out? Damn Uchiha! Why did he have to be so damn observant?!_

The kunoichi remained quiet, she had no answer. Anything she said would have been pointless anyway. Silence was the best answer.

_Allow that damn Uchiha to think what he wants and second guess my capabilities. He can wonder for the rest of his life for all I care damnit!_

Itachi smirked, he had figured it out.

_She isn't letting on to her strength. I watched her, she followed me with her eyes, she chose to take the attack, she is trying to fool us into thinking that she is fragile when she is just the opposite! She has subtly hinted to it with her chakra control and fighting style. _

_Even when she was first brought here, in her fight with Kisame, I had to step in because she was performing some sort of jutsu. I don't even know what it was, but I could feel her chakra focusing, whatever she was intending to use wouldn't have been an easy jutsu to deal with. The others believed I stepped in for her sake; I actually stepped in for Kisame's. I didn't pay it much mind since I wasn't even sure what the jutsu did, but even Sasori mentioned something about her having a small quarrel with Deidara. He said that she had lost her temper over something, but evidently, Deidara was lucky the girl didn't follow through with her attack. Sasori said that he could have attacked her, but there was no way he could have stopped the jutsu if she wanted to use it to kill Deidara. _

_No, none of us have fought the real shinobi inside this girl, and I think I want to be the first to play with her._

"You know little kunoichi, that hiding your true abilities isn't very wise." Itachi murmured in her ear as he pressed the small pink-haired girl harder against the wall.

Sakura's eyes clenched shut again as she accepted the pain.

Itachi watched, morbidly engrossed at the kunoichi's attempts to hide her true identity and the pain that was racking her body.

Sakura took a sharp intake of breath and let it out slowly, and with it, she steeled herself against the rouge ninja's assault. Finally, she opened her now hard eyes and stared back at the raven-haired ninja looming too close for comfort.

_Damn him…he has figured me out…the only question remaining is-how much hasn't he figured out?_

"Release me Uchiha." Sakura said sternly.

"Now where is the challenge in that? Aren't you the Hokage's prized apprentice?" Itachi jibed quietly. Sakura felt his warm breath against her ear, and became irritated with Itachi's proximity.

"Hai, I am." Sakura answered. "But medic nins don't much going for them in battle."

_Maybe he doesn't know how advanced I am…I need to see just how much he knows…_

"Hn."

_Shit…he does know. Sorry son of a bitch! How the hell does he know? In my condition, I have no hope of beating him. I might be able to break free of his grasp, but that would be pointless. I should use that energy to try and heal myself. So I guess that leaves only one option left…_

"Sadistic bastard." Sakura muttered just loud enough for Itachi to hear.

Sakura suddenly felt herself be pulled away from the hard wall as Itachi twisted her body, his arms wrenching her around and slamming her back against the wall. This time, her back was pressed against the wall, and Itachi's ever tightening hand was clenched around her throat holding her up.

Sakura itched for air to fill her lungs, but she refused to lower herself to futilely beating the man's arms.

Defiantly she stared down at the man, as the corners of her vision began to darken from lack of oxygen.

"You are a foolish girl." Itachi said at last before relinquishing his hold around her neck, and she crumpled to the ground.

_**Okay ya'll, I won't be able to update next week due to a trip (I'm leaving Friday after school and won't be back until the following Wednesday), so I made this chapter extra long for you. Hope it holds you over. I promise to be handwriting the next chapter while I'm gone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and find time to review. I always enjoy reading them! Until next time, ja ne!**_

_**Kia**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Nope, still don't own Naruto, but my evil plans are starting to manifest! Mwhahahaha! Okay, anyway, onward to the chapter!**_

Chapter 20

_What the hell should I do about that damned Uchiha?!_

For the umpteenth time Sakura had cursed the man.

_Why did he have to be such a pain?! Of all the assholes in this organization, figures it is him!_

Sakura had been running through the possible situations that Itachi's new-found knowledge could put her in. The worst case scenario being that he knew the true extent of her skills and intended to either warn the others or increase the security on her, while the best predicament would be that Itachi was still underestimating her and saw her more as entertainment rather then a threat. Either way, it didn't matter, the fact that Itachi had a clue to the power she had been so carefully hiding was infuriating.

_Where did I mess up? He had to have seen some display, but where…he was unaware of me before this encounter. I haven't even fought anyone in front of him, at least to my knowledge. And all fights that I've had here were witnessed by at least one member, so why did he get the picture and nobody else did?_

_Damn smart people, they're to damn troublesome._

OoO

Itachi stood quietly in the training field across from the battered dummy, composed of a simple log for the torso with two thinner logs parallel to the ground to form arms and a block of wood added on top to represent a head.

Though calm on the outside, Itachi's mind was restless. The irritation from the kunoichi had built up, and now he was itching to fight someone. In hopes of relaxing, Itachi had headed out to the desolate area to have some target "practice" (AN: we all know that Itachi is too damn hot and good to actually need to practice).

_Annoying little girl, she doesn't make any sense. Most shinobi attempt to escape as quickly as possible, with as little notice as possible; however, the kunoichi not only bides her time, but bluntly informs Deidara of her intentions._

Itachi reached into the small black pouch bound to his leg and drew four kunai into each hand, the cold steel a welcome feeling to his calloused skin.

_On top of that, she refuses to fight back to her full potential, even when attacked mercilessly. I can't tell if she is too weak to retaliate, realizes that the fight will always end with her loss therefore not worth the effort, or planning something under false pretenses. _

_Her lack of strength is an obvious drawback, and the reason with the most support. But it is something about how she reacts, no, how she watches us act. That is the most infuriating. She can see what we are doing, where we are going, yet she stands there, motionless and unwavering, simply taking the hits and healing herself. Why bother wasting the chakra to heal herself when she could exert less energy and simply dodge?_

But Itachi already knew the answer to that. Dodging an attack would simply lead to another attack, and the second would be stronger.

_Still, after seeing how well she can manipulate her chakra in that room, she could easily mask it. So, we actually have no true idea of how much strength and power the kunoichi possesses. No doubt, the room is constantly absorbing a portion of her chakra so it is impossible for a large amount to rebuild itself quickly. And the barrier that we set up not only cages her in, but disrupts the flow of chakra, making it harder to control. But that girl, she had no issue carefully and slowly measuring a minute amount of her chakra into the barrier without our detection. Her strategy is well thought-out, but that method won't work with our barrier._

Itachi had to smirk at that thought. She could try for the rest of her pointless life, and would never figure the pattern out. Simply put, nobody could.

The barrier was like nothing he'd ever encountered before. It doesn't simply put one chakra into the wall; those are easy to find a weak point with and escape. No, their barrier was much more complex, because it incorporated several chakras together. Due to the unbalance in the different chakra powers, it becomes impossible to find a pattern because it is always fluctuating. Furthermore, the amount of chakra within their barrier was incredible, one rivaling the tailed-demons they so passionately hunted.

Still there was no way he could deny the skill and practice it took to be in such absolute control of one's chakra.

_And still, she refuses to fight back or have a slip of tongue. She is too calm to be a prisoner of the most notorious group ever created. _

Then a thought finally hit him.

_Is she actually underestimating us?_

His eyes narrowed at the belief of such idiocy, and yet, it was this thought that seemed to torment him.

With his hands at his sides, he rolled the kunai between his fingers in a flash, the metal reflecting the sun for a split-second before the silver lost the glint of light and returned to its grey color, hidden in the folds of his sleeve.

His left hand suddenly flew up; releasing the kunai while his right hand simultaneously went across his body, throwing the knives as his hand swiftly crossed his body.

Itachi watched the weapons embed themselves deeply into the wood a second later with a dull thud. He lowered his arms back to his sides, staring at the target as an idea occurred to him.

_I need somebody to spar with and since Kisame is too wasted to be useful, I suppose I'll just have to use someone else._

Itachi smirked at his thoughts before turning around and heading back to the compound, leaving the wooden "person" with eight kunai perfectly aimed. The small knives lining from the top of its "head" to the bottom of the larger log, then the other half lined the "arms" of the dummy.

OoO

"That took longer then expected yeah."

"Yes, but we are still on time. The Kyuubi was barely affected by your insects." Sasori observed nonchalantly.

"I didn't make them as strong as usual yeah. I didn't want to risk killing him. Besides, he wasn't that tough of an opponent yeah." Deidara replied quickly, still annoyed that his bombs didn't hurt the boy as much as he anticipated, however he had no intention of telling that to his partner.

"Don't forget who you were dealing with. The demon-containers become unstable when they are emotional, if you taunt and upset him too much he will go from the child you fought today, to a bloodthirsty demon. I would rather not deal with something to that magnitude if it can be avoided."

"If you say so Sasori-sama, but don't be such a fun-sucker yeah." Deidara replied easily. "Besides, I didn't taunt him too much, not enough to cause him to get overexcited at least. And his anger seems to make him lose any rational thought or strategy while staying the same Konoha brat yeah."

"When the Hyuga intervened, you threatened him and you kept bringing up that Konoha kunoichi. That was enough to send the boy over the top and release the fox. But that is interesting; upsetting him may be a good idea after all, so long as he is the only one being dealt with." Sasori murmured to himself as he began contemplating ways to deal with the Kyuubi.

"So now we just wait yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Yes." Sasori answered absentmindedly.

"I'm already bored yeah." Deidara complained, hoping to get a rise out of his partner for entertainment purposes.

"Shut up Deidara, I don't have time to care about how you feel." Sasori replied curtly.

Deidara sulked in annoyance.

_This is going to take a while._

"Are you sure those Konoha brats picked up our trail yeah?" Deidara asked seriously.

"They better, I'm not in a mood to go baby-sit them and make sure they can track us down when we leave such an obvious trail."

"I suppose…" Deidara trailed off thoughtfully. "But if they don't pick up on the bait, I think we should rough 'em up a little to get them thinking straighter. If we kick their ass, they'll be sure to come after us yeah."

"True, but that is assuming they don't pick up on the fact that we are leading them into a trap."

"Itachi said they would 'follow us blindly' in hopes of saving the little kunoichi yeah. So that shouldn't be a problem right?"

"It better not be. I want this done with as soon as possible, I hate spending an unnecessary amount of time on a task, such a waste." Sasori grumbled under his breath.

OoO

"Kuso." Naruto ground out annoyed. "Come on! Sakura-chan needs us!"

"Shut up dobe." Sasuke replied curtly. "We all know where we are going and that we need to move out soon. Quit wasting our time with your pointless information and do something constructive."

"Why don't both of you quit your bickering?" Shino stated coldly at the two.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted annoyed, but kept his mouth shut.

"What the-!" Naruto began exclaiming before Neji cut him off.

"That is enough." Neji reprimanded firmly. "How are we supposed to get to a well-hidden base undetected with your yelling?" He asked rhetorically.

"N-Naruto-san, I'm sure that S-Sasuke-san didn't m-mean to offend you, ne?" Hinata offered shyly, trying to calm the upset blond.

"But Hinata-chan! That bastard-" Naruto tried to argue again before being interrupted.

"It doesn't really matter Naruto. Just ignore him and lets get going, complaining about what he said isn't going to make him sorry and it isn't going to help Sakura-san." Tenten attempted.

Naruto stared defiantly at the weapons-expert, as if he was about to protest, but then he seemed to think better of it. With a scowl of annoyance the blond faced forward and surged forward without a sound.

Neji smirked inwardly at his old genin teammate.

_I'm impressed she didn't simply go up behind him and whack him on the head, she is finally starting to get that temper of hers under control. That is a huge relief, she is beginning to accept the duties of shinobi and is now acting and reacting like one. Besides, hitting Naruto might cause him to drop even more IQ points, and he doesn't have any to spare._

OoO

_Damn same wall in the damn same room…this is getting annoying._

Trying to get through the barrier covering the walls was proving to be much more difficult then she had originally thought. Actually, she hadn't made any progress with the foreign jutsu, and was quickly becoming frustrated.

_When the right time does present itself, I won't even be able to get out! Exerting even more chakra into the damn thing isn't going to help either. Unless I can force more chakra into the barrier at one time, that would just be a pointless waste of energy. And I don't have enough energy to waste. _She thought ruefully.

_Why can't I get out damnit?! _

Sakura's eyes narrowed in frustration as she clenched her fists tightly, her nails biting into her palm.

_Damn assholes! That is all they are! Damn assholes! And the next asshole that comes in is going to die! I will force my way through all of them! This is taking too damn long! _

_I can't keep trying to conserve my strength! It hasn't gotten me anywhere, and as far as I'm concerned, it won't get me anywhere. I need a plan of action that will have some results. I don't even care if it works, I just need to feel like I'm doing something. I would rather die fighting them to being killed for losing any sort of usefulness they have tagged on me!_

Sakura's anger flared as her pent up irritation from her capturers and situation began to fill her mind. But she didn't realize the amount of chakra she had unintentionally unmasked…nor did she notice the chakra signature moving to her location.

_**Yeah, I know it took forever, Gomen! I swear, this is the last horribly busy weekend then I'll be free and can go back to updating every Saturday night or Sunday morning. I hope you liked the chapter, I know it is short and all, but in the next chapter I'm going to have a super awesome kick-ass fight! I bet you can't guess who it will be between (wink wink)! Give me some feedback if you have time! Once again, I appreciate all of your patience and support with this story. Take care, and until next time, ja ne!**_

_**Kia**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**I don't own Naruto so don't ask…dobe…**_

Chapter 21

_I can't keep trying to conserve my strength! It hasn't gotten me anywhere, and as far as I'm concerned, it won't get me anywhere. I need a plan of action that will have some results. I don't even care if it works, I just need to feel like I'm doing something. I would rather die fighting them to being killed for losing any sort of usefulness they have tagged on me!_

Sakura's anger flared as her pent up irritation from her capturers and situation began to fill her mind. But she didn't realize the amount of chakra she had unintentionally unmasked…nor did she notice the chakra signature moving to her location.

OoO

Itachi walked swiftly down the hall, moving with practiced precision, each step light and sure, taking him closer and closer to the kunoichi's holding room.

His face held the ever-present demeanor that expressed neither dislike nor care, like he was simply void of any emotion. And as his feet carried him further, an aura he was unfamiliar with crossed his own.

Itachi focused on the aura of the foreign chakra, trying to find out the source, and his discovery surprised him slightly, yet a small feeling of anticipation quickly followed.

_The kunoichi._

Itachi knew the chakra was coming from her room, but he only assumed that it was the pink-haired captive. The thought that another may be trying to free her crossed his mind fleetingly, before he discarded it, knowing that nobody made it pass him while he was training in the field.

_But, I wonder…why has she chosen now of all times to unmask her chakra? How cute, she thinks she can beat Akatsuki now. _He thought sardonically._ I suppose I should be a gentleman and remind her of her place, since she seems to be willing to test her limits._

Itachi's long steps brought him gracefully to the kunoichi's door within seconds.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of Itachi's mouth as he lifted his hand up and rested it lightly on the door handle.

_Time to play._

OoO

Sakura moved slowly to the side of her bed and sat down softly on the floor with her back against the broad flat side of the bed, trying to get more comfortable in order to placate her anger. Her left leg stretched out fully as her right knee bent up to give her arm an elbow rest.

_Damnit, I need to calm down! I have come too far to risk it all. _

_**We haven't gone far enough!**_

_As if, we don't stand much of a chance with the chakra inhibitors in this room. I barely have half of my normal strength._

_**That is more then enough to take out an Akatsuki member!**_

_No, that will let me hold my own against them, not beat them. _Sakura's reasonable side argued softly.

_**Bullshit! All we need to do is get close enough to cut a main artery! That requires skill not strength!**_

_Shut up! We will fail with that sort of thinking. It may work on the first member we attack, but not the second._

_**They aren't that smart! **_

They_ may not be…but Sasori and Itachi are. _

_**What's your point!?**_

_That-_

Sakura's eyes widened in alarm as her head snapped over to the door.

The fixture was plain and annoyingly mocked her captivity as always, but there was a difference. And this difference didn't deal directly with the door, but with what was behind the door.

She could feel the dark aura of chakra waiting to come in. How often she had thought that the darkness was almost ready to consume its owner. She feared the ominous pulsing of barely constrained strength, masked almost to perfection yet in an odd way, she felt awed by the silent promise of strength and power hidden underneath the sinister chakra.

"Damn…" she whispered softly under her breath.

_Did my chakra spike when I lost my temper? It must have! It is the only reason for _him _to come here._

Sakura picked herself up off the floor and unconsciously went into a defensive stance, her left foot pushed forward a little farther then her right and a slight angling of her left shoulder gave her the ability to quickly defend an attack from any direction. She stared hard at the location her enemy would soon be appearing, putting up a façade that hid the anger and surprise of his visit.

_Why did he pause? What is he waiting for? _

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she watched the door handle turn slowly.

_Get ready. _She mentally warned her herself.

Sakura's senses went into overdrive as she watched the door slowly push inward and open.

She faced the man indignantly. Staring at him while attempting to work out the possible reasons for the visit.

Itachi watched her with a simple bored expression on his face, betraying the excitement he felt at the prospect of fighting the kunoichi before him.

He examined her tense stance. Inwardly, he had to praise the position she had.

_Smart choice, she doesn't know my intentions, so standing that way leaves no openings, and at the same time, allows one to quickly block an attack. The only flaw is the lack of offensive opportunity…_

Itachi watched her calm, almost peaceful expression, the only indicators of her tenseness were her slightly clenched jaw and…and…and something else. At first, the Uchiha couldn't quite put his finger on it as he silently scrutinized her. Something about her appearance simply created a fierce look about her, making her appear more dangerous and unpredictable. Suddenly, it hit him, her eyes.

They were still the cold jade color he had come to known, but the ivy color had become slightly darker around the edges and a small glint in her eyes gave the illusion of a flame that seemed to burn deep inside her.

_That pride. Her determination to take on whatever comes her way. Such an unfettered spirit, unbridled and untamed by anyone, yet strangely obedient and loyal. _

So much promise of strength and devotion shone through her green orbs, and the thought of it completely disgusted the man before her.

_If she wants to live, she best fight back this time, I'm in no mood to deal with her obstinate attitude and I intend to play rough._

Both shinobi kept their silence as a tense atmosphere began rapidly building up from their intense stares.

Sakura consciously began forcing herself to remain still under the Uchiha's gaze.

_Damn Uchiha…why does he have to bother me of all people?_

She felt time drag by as the nonchalant man before her barely quirked an eye at her, yet his eyes were all he needed to make the kunoichi feel the weight of his presence.

_Screw this immature staring contest…_Sakura thought annoyed.

"Can I do something for you Itachi-san?" Sakura asked politely, though not bothering to cover up the slightly sarcastic undertone.

Itachi smirked at her remark.

"Hai kunoichi." He replied simply.

Sakura kept her impassive gaze on the imposing figure, but Itachi didn't seem inclined to further explain.

_Should I indulge him and see what he wants…or should I refuse and tell him to go to hell? _She thought darkly.

_**Tell his sorry ass to go to hell!**_

_As much as I'd love to, that would be asking for a fight._

_**Then fight damnit! He left the door open! It's about time they knew who they were dealing with and we aren't going to get a better chance! **_

_Maybe it is time they knew my limits…but still, I'm curious…what could Itachi want?_

Itachi watched the kunoichi deliberate her choices briefly, weighing her options and the consequences of her actions.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked bluntly after a few seconds.

Itachi was slightly surprised at the forward question, yet he found himself oddly amused at her wording.

_She is definitely one of ANBU level to ask questions like that. Though, I usually have even those from ANBU rethinking their comments. She holds no fear of me or what I could do to her. That means she is either ignorant or confident…but either way she is foolish._

"If you don't know what you want, you are free to leave. I don't care to waste my time in your presence if the only answer you can give is silence." Sakura spoke clearly, not bothering to hide her annoyance at the man for not answering her question.

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the girl in anger at the way she spoke to him.

"You forget your place _girl_." Itachi spat the name out like venom, drawling out the word to make it sound derisive.

His displeasure was made blatant in his tone, and he obviously looked down on Sakura. His posture tensed slightly as he restrained himself from slamming the kunoichi up against the wall and cutting off her air supply.

Sakura noted the slight shift in his mood, and the aggressive stance that subtly warned her of his intentions.

_And now the fun begins…_

Sakura let a small smirk appear on her face, as she shifted her right leg forward.

"No, Itachi-san. I know exactly where my place is…" Her left arm crossed the small of her back as she extended her right hand out in front of her. "My place is above trash like you."

Itachi immediately reacted, feeling thoroughly infuriated against her condescending tone and over-confident attitude.

Sakura watched as the Uchiha moved with god-like speed. Her eyes followed him like a hawk stalking its prey, yet her body remained motionless.

_So, Itachi is as impulsive as his brother when his strength is questioned…how disappointing. I sort of hoped that Itachi would recognize the goading…_

Sakura's head snapped to the right as she sensed his presence closing in on her side.

In one fluid motion, Sakura shifted her weight back while her left hand began dropping to a small concealed senbon attached to the lining of her pants. She slid her right foot back while twisting her body to face Itachi. Just as she secured her stance, the thin cold metal of the senbon fell into her hand and she met Itachi's attack head on.

Itachi's kunai was held tightly in his left hand as he met the kunoichi's weapon.

_Annoying girl. How many weapons does she have concealed on her? _He thought irritably.

He pushed heavily against her, but despite his added pressure, the kunoichi remained as stoic as ever, meeting him inch for inch.

Itachi pressed all of his weight against the girl in a second before jumping back and revealing several shuriken settled snuggly in-between his fingers. Sakura's eyes narrowed at the small weapons before she saw the slight shift in his stance. Almost immediately, her eyes widened in disbelief at the genius's speed as she brought her own hands up to make shadow clones.

_Damnit! I didn't even see the signs, Kakashi-san wasn't exaggerating Itachi's skills at all…that is not a good sign._

Two clones appeared on either side of Sakura. Immediately, one of her clones intercepted the clone Itachi had just made in a blur of signs.

With a swift roundhouse kick, Itachi's clone was disposed of and the three turned expectantly to face the Uchiha.

Smugly, Sakura met Itachi's dangerous and hypnotic eyes, but the amusement clearly written across his face immediately sent her heart racing as she realized that she missed the trick, that Itachi's clone had simply been a distraction and she fell for the stupid show like a newly recruited genin.

Mentally, she cursed herself as she turned around to face the second clone that she hadn't even realized existed a second before. But it was too late, as a kick sent Sakura flying through the air and into the stone wall.

Sakura's back hit the cold cement roughly, and proceeded to knock the air out of Sakura, causing her to arch her body away from the hard wall while biting down the small yelp trying to escape her lips.

Sakura felt the wall shift slightly and a spider web of cracks emerged where her body made impact. Slowly, she felt her body pull away from the wall and she braced her legs to support her weight as she fell to the ground.

Pain shot up her legs and reacted rebelliously against her muscles, but she remained on two feet.

Tenderly, she righted her upper body as a small trail of blood leaked from the corner of her both. She could already feel the bruises on her back and the sting of the dirt and sweat in the newly acquired cuts and scrapes on the backs of her arms and hands.

_Heh…two cracked ribs…I should have been ready and expecting it._

Sakura brought her hard eyes up to meet Itachi's gaze and she saw much to her disgust that he hadn't even moved during the time she was regaining her bearings. Her eyes narrowed at him and this time, she charged. Her two clones stood nearby, brushed off by Itachi as not worth his effort to dispose of.

Itachi watched her approach with the other two clones as if she was some simple nuisance. Once again, the Uchiha demonstrated his supreme and god-like speed as only a small movement in his hands gave away that he had performed seals for a jutsu.

Sakura watched as Itachi smirked at her, before she felt her legs become heavy and her body sluggish. Sakura immediately closed her eyes for a second and shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

_Damnit! I can't be running out of chakra already! No, I have only done minor chakra enhancement and made a couple shadow clones! That's it, that's not enough to use up all of my chakra! _

Sakura's eyes narrowed in concentration as she began racking her brain for possible causes while nearing her target. She rolled the metal senbon between her fingers before launching it at Itachi when she was within five feet. The man didn't move, as the senbon at first stuck into his chest before slowly being absorbed into his body, disappearing from sight, causing Sakura to stop short at his reaction.

_What the --?!_

Realization immediately dawned on her as Itachi closed the rest of the distance to attack her. The two shinobi became locked in a series of blows as they tested the limits of their taijutsu. While only half-paying attention, Sakura caught Itachi's punches while dealing some of her own, though none of her hits ever landed on him.

_Damn him! I'm in a genjutsu! For all I know I'm fighting a damn coat rack!_

Sakura felt for the small pressure that a genjutsu exerts on the mind, a force that represses what your own eyes see as the user implants a new scene and found the small weight, confirming her suspicions.

_I haven't been caught in a genjutsu since I was a chunin! I can't believe I was trapped in it, and worse then that, I can't believe that I believed it for so long. I have always been able to sense an illusion before it is ever even cast…but this one I much more advanced. At least I can be thankful I'm not stuck in Tsukuyomi._

Sakura pushed off of the illusionary Itachi and landed squarely several yards away. She swiftly closed her eyes in concentration and began focusing her chakra. She quickly built up her chakra and released it in one quick second before quickly pulling the energy back into her body and circulating it to check for newly acquired injuries.

She knew she had escaped the illusion, but when she opened her eyes, she found that returning wasn't going to be pleasant at all. The Uchiha was looming not three feet from where her feet were planted, and the sluggish effects from the illusion were still causing her reaction time to slow.

"Damn." She murmured as Itachi's leg shot out and hit her full force in the chest, propelling her backwards.

For one brief second, Sakura felt the dread that would come when she came in contact with the wall again. But she couldn't linger on the idea of the coming pain for too long as she slammed into the hard cement. But this time, the wall didn't support the force of Sakura's body being thrown into it. She felt the wall crumble and crack before falling through and Sakura's body fell to the ground at a dangerous angle.

_Heh, I used most of my chakra to break out of his genjutsu, I can't hold out much longer…_

Down Sakura careened towards the earth as Itachi stood at the ledge and watched her body fall limply towards the ground.

Itachi watched the kunoichi's frame land in the dirt and a dust cloud lifted at her impact. The Uchiha jumped out of the large hole in the wall and landed lightly on the ground.

He stood silently staring at the location that Sakura landed in.

_I should go see if she is dead or not…she wasn't half as entertaining as I expected._

Itachi slowly moved forward to the girl's location, stepping into the dirt that now floated in the air and interfered with his sight (AN:I mean that he was having issues seeing through all the dirt, his actual vision isn't effected right now in the Sharingan form). But two steps into the dirt-clogged air Itachi felt a large release of chakra.

His eyes widened slightly as he recognized the kunoichi's aura behind the power. He immediately pushed chakra to his feet and jumped away from her until he knew what the kunoichi was up to.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he watched as the dirt cloud dispersed from the winds that the power of her chakra emitted. His eyes narrowed as he took in her battle worn appearance.

_How does she have more chakra now then she did earlier?_

Itachi wondered curiously.

"Itachi-san," Sakura called lightly. She stood in the middle of the swirling air that whipped her hair around her face, and head pointed down examining her upturned hands as if there was something fascinating about them. "I apologize for my lack of ability previously…" Sakura said before balling her hands in fists and finally looking up to meet Itachi's gaze. "But I now promise that I will win this fight…for now, I have all of my chakra back."

Sakura smirked at her last few words and stared at Itachi with new determination shining through her.

_**Well, I know it has taken forever for me to get this out, but life should start easing up on me for now so I ought to be able to start updating every Saturday or Sunday evening again. I hope ya'll enjoyed, because it's not even over yet and Sakura is just getting started! **_

_**For those of you who didn't pick up on it, when Itachi knocked her through the wall, he also knocked her out of the room thus away from the chakra suppressors. Without those inhibitors, she is now almost up to full speed. Now use your brain here, if she has been concealing her chakra, the barrier couldn't absorb it because it was already absorbed within Sakura's body. But while fighting, performing jutsus forces the shinobi to unmask their chakra, it was during these times that the barrier really effected her. **_

_**Now keep in mind that the room has no effect on the actual Akatsuki members because it is their chakra in the field, in other words, their own chakra in the barrier keeps the barrier from acting against them. **_

_**Okay now that that is explained so nobody can ask me, please review and as always thanks for reading!! Ja ne!**_

_**Kia**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Disclaimer:…I wonder what "disclaimer" means…**_

Chapter 22

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he watched as the dirt cloud dispersed from the winds that the power of her chakra emitted. His eyes narrowed as he took in her battle worn appearance.

_How does she have more chakra now then she did earlier?_

Itachi wondered curiously.

"Itachi-san," Sakura called lightly. She stood in the middle of the swirling air that whipped her hair around her face, her head pointed down examining her upturned hands as if there was something fascinating about them. "I apologize for my lack of ability previously…" Sakura said before balling her hands in fists and finally looking up to meet Itachi's gaze. "But I now promise that I will win this fight…for now, I have all of my chakra back."

Sakura smirked at her last few words and stared at Itachi with new determination shining through her.

"Get ready." Sakura warned slinking into an offensive stance, feeling giddy with her regained power.

Itachi smirked back at her.

_She is very confident in herself now. I wonder if that confidence is truly founded or not…only one way to find out._

Itachi stood quietly as he examined the kunoichi's stance, looking for holes that weren't there, expecting her to quiver in fear where she stood solid.

_This will be an interesting fight indeed._

Sakura watched him closely. She was aware of Itachi's intentions, she knew he was trying to see through her defenses, but she already knew there were none. She too, looked for some sloppy mistake from the Uchiha in front of her, but was only rewarded with knowledge she already expected…there were none.

_Pretty equal footing skill wise. He has a kekkei genkai and a lot more experience then I do, but I have a much wider range of specialties. Amusing how I see Zabuza's point now…when we were genin, he remarked on Kakashi being only able to copy someone's movements. Back then, I disagreed, believing that Kakashi was one of the strongest shinobi alive and that nothing, not even one of the great seven swordsman stood a chance against him. How naïve of me. _She thought annoyed of herself.

_But I think Zabuza was right on that account, he compared Kakashi to a monkey. Their techniques are extremely limited in a sense. Copying movements and copying techniques are extremely different, and that will be my advantage. _

Itachi eyed her impatiently.

_She is too slow._

Itachi's right hand reached for kunai in his ninja bag without disturbing the soft material of his cloak.

The movement was slight, but the slight lean in his shoulder forewarned Sakura of his intentions.

_Time to play…I wonder who will win this round…_

Unconsciously, Sakura's body tensed up, ready to spring out of the way of Itachi's attack.

Her eyes narrowed on Itachi, focusing on his every movement. She watched as his weight shifted again.

_NOW!_

She saw his hand release two shuriken in a blur of movement.

_Damnit! I didn't even think he was that fast! He has been holding out on me too!_

Sakura instinctively pushed chakra to her feet, forcing her body up into the air to avoid his attacks.

_There is always a hidden attack…what is his hidden motive…what trick is behind the shuriken! Think, damnit, THINK!_

Sakura's eyes shot in every direction, looking for the attack that she knew would be following the obvious forward assault.

_Damn, oldest trick in the book…throw your opponent off-balance and then attack before they regain their bearings. And while I'm in the air, an attack can come from any direction, I fell right in._

But she knew that wasn't true either. She had taken the less strenuous route. Itachi would have forced her up in the air one way or another, by going where he wanted her to go the first time she conserved energy and gave Itachi a little extra confidence.

Then Sakura felt her body all at once tense up.

_Damn._

Itachi smirked when he felt her chakra spike…this was definitely going to be worth his time.

"Over here." He whispered quietly by the kunoichi's ear, floating only inches behind her with a kunai already positioned in his hand to bring up to her throat.

Sakura angled her head slightly so she could see the Uchiha out of the corner of her eye.

"I expected a little more." She goaded slightly, a smirk gracing her features.

Itachi's eyes immediately narrowed in response as he brought his hand up, brandishing the cold steel to her neck.

"Hn." He responded flatly.

"That won't do either." Sakura remarked quietly as Itachi's blade came back further against her neck, applying pressure until a small bead of blood gathered at the point of the knife.

Itachi felt annoyance and irriation flood through him as he realized his mistake.

_This isn't the real kunoichi._

But his frusturation grew out of not seeing the girl switch places with the clone. He scoffed at the clone before jerking the kunai back to him through the imposter's windpipe. A small puff was heard as the shadow clone disappeared.

Itachi landed lightly on the ground, surveying the area for any sign of the pink-haired captive.

_Foolish girl, where did she go? Does she really believe she can hide? Where did she even th-_

Itachi's head shot up to see the pink-haired shinobi diving towards him. He watched her draw her arm back to punch him, and he allowed a smirk to appear as saw the set look of determination and fire in her eyes.

_She really is a foolish girl. _He thought watching her dive to the ground

Itachi pressed chakra to his feet and nimbly lept back several feet as Sakura's fist embedded itself into the ground.

_Why did she continue her attack? She had to have seen she was going to miss me?___

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the kunoichi.

_What is she planning?___

Dirt and debris flew up form where Sakura's fist impacted the ground.

_It would have been better if I hit him, but this works too. _She thought smugly as the earth groaned underneath the force of her punch.

Not a second later, a crack began stretching out across the ground and Sakura couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face.

She finally looked up from the ground and boldly met Itachi's gaze.

_Now, lets see how I measure up against you Uchiha.___

Itachi's gaze held Sakura's for a second before he felt the ground around him give a low grinding sound and begin to quiver.

_What the-___

Itachi jumped backwards several yards before landing lightly on a higher tree branch, his gaze jumping from the motionless girl and the earth that was now starting to split.

_She didn't perform any jutsus, my Sharingan would have seen it...is she this powerful? Did a single punch create this much damage?___

He flicked his attention back to the earth to ensure his perch's safety before looking back towards the kunoichi.

_She moved!___

Immediately, the Uchiha felt her presence move in front of him as she threw another punch.

Easily, Itachi sidestepped the frontal attack, causing Sakura's blow to land on the large tree he initially took refugee in.

_She is faster then I anticipated...__  
_  
_He watched the tree splinter out of the corner of his eye before the trunk shattered into hundreds of fragments.__  
_  
_...and stronger then I imagined.__  
_  
Itachi leaned back, dodging Sakura's kick by mere centimeters.

_She herself isn't that strong, but with her chakra control she manipulates her strength, magnifying it to an unbelievable height. Such an attack requires perfect control of her energy, if she exerted too much chakra into her muscles she'd destroy the tissues, but by not giving her muscles enough enhancement, she loses effectiveness in her attack.__  
_  
He watched her jump up a couple feet while spinning to the side to land a kick on his head. Itachi stepped back to avoid her attack, then leaned over the branch and pushed off the bottom of the limb, propelling himself to the ground.

_I need to force her on the defensive. __He decided as he neared the ground.__  
_  
Sakura landed her kick on the branch and hesitated a second, watching the Uchiha land on the ground.

_Damn Uchiha! I can't land a hit on him! He is reading my every movement too easily.__ She thought_before following the Uchiha, jumping lightly off the side._  
_  
Sakura's jaw clenched in frustration as she began trying to organize a strategy against the Uchiha.

_All that training against Kakashi to make myself stronger and more capable of dealing with Sasuke and all I find out is that Itachi is on a whole different level then either of them.__  
_  
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she watched Itachi perform hand seals in rapid succession.

_He can use any jutsu once he sees it, yet he picks that one? It was one of Sasuke's favorite techniques too. I wish the two had more in common, like Sasuke's short temper and over-emotional reactions…then Itachi would be a lot easier to deal with.__  
_  
Sakura began her own set of seals as two of Itachi's fingers rested lightly next to his lips. She watched him inhale slightly before breathing out of his mouth, exhaling hungry flames that raced towards her descending body.

_Kage bushin no justu! _She thought furiously as a clone appeared in front of her.

The real Sakura immediately brought her feet up on the clone's back and pressed off, propelling herself away from the approaching inferno, and her clone to the awaiting flames.

As soon as Sakura's feet touched the ground she looked up to see her clone engulfed in flames, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the clone still existed.

The clone still fell closer to the ground as the flames met a smaller tree. She watched the fire burn the tree, leaving a black scorch mark, yet the tree never caught on fire itself.

"What the hell is-" Sakura murmured as she watched a kunai embed itself into the replica, finally turning the shadow clone into a small puff of smoke.

_The clone should have been destroyed as soon as it touched the heat! No way he could have...but...how could...when could...__  
_  
Sakura sent her chakra through her body up to her head and predictably found the evidence she expected.

_He put me in a genjutsu and I never even noticed...__  
_  
Sakura effortlessly released the illusion, however the question still remained.

She set out for looking around for the Uchiha, but Itachi stood only ten yards from her in a very battle-scarred area.

She recognized the large fissure and overturned trees as her own doing, but didn't see any marks of where Itachi's fire-based attack scorched the tree.

_Dammit! He has had me in that illusion and I've been wasting my energy fighting thin air! But why didn't he try to scare me or torture me? Illusions were originally created to implant false ideas or fear into someone's subconscious, yet he made the entire thing seems so realistic. Why? On top of that, while I was focused on what my mind was seeing, why didn't he go for the obvious opening? He wouldn't of even had a challenge, he could have knocked me out or killed me, and I wouldn't have even realized it until it actually took place.__  
_  
Itachi smirked at the girl before him.

_That is the quickest anybody has ever figured out that genjutsu. I wonder what caused her to question it. The jutsu works off an extremely complex design that blends the illusion with reality. It is easily to dispel due to the small amount of energy used to trap the enemies in, but due to the small amount of chakra used, it makes the jutsu nearly impossible to detect. I'm impressed she noticed it, I took further precaution to make the illusion seem real, so she wouldn't detect a difference. But it doesn't matter that she found out, I've already accomplished what I wanted…she is second guessing herself and trying to figure me out._

_Sakura stood motionless, her face not giving away any of her thoughts, but her mind was curling around every possible reason Itachi could have for not squashing her when he had the chance. _

_Is he just playing with me? Toying with his prey before sending me to an impending hell?! I refuse to be someone's entertainment on any level, in any situation! That sorry bastard! Why didn't he attack!? Why didn't he finish this battle?! Naruto and the others would have already taken the bait, they are coming to get me, my existence isn't truly necessary anymore, they won't know if I'm dead or alive until they arrive and by then Itachi would have already achieved his objective…I've known that for a while. I've been expecting someone to come in my room sooner or later to finish me off but…_

_Sakura paused in her reasoning as she came to one of the scariest realizations._

_I don't get him…I have no idea how his mind works or what he is planning. _

_Never before had she been completely clueless as to her enemies' future actions. She had been taken by surprise before, but her adversaries always followed some predictable way of thinking, enabling her to deal with them one way or another. _

_But Itachi was above them, he had a whole different way of thinking and that thought alone left her feeling uncomfortable and uneasy. She no longer held the upper-hand of intelligence, she had come up shorthanded, and now it meant more then ever to remain two steps ahead of the dark Uchiha in front of her._

"When?" She asked curtly in a cold demanding voice.

She finally picked her head up and focused on the center of Itachi's chest. She was all too aware of what meeting his eyes could result in and had a feeling that the illusion she had just been in was a result of looking at those deadly pinwheels.

Itachi couldn't help the amused glint that sparked in his eyes. The uneasiness in her voice, hidden beneath the cold bitter edge was all he needed to hear.

Sakura's fists clenched in unrestrained anger at the man's silence. She knew that working off of such raw emotion was only going to lead to ruin, but at the moment she only had one thought running through her mind.

_Destroy him…_

"DAMN YOU! ANSWER ME!" Sakura roared as she forced chakra to her legs and charged the Uchiha headfirst.

_**Oh damn, I left ya'll with another cliffie, but honestly be happy. My stupid relatives (and I know that is mean to say because I should be happy I have some, but I assure you that the title is well-founded) showed up so I haven't been allowed on the computer since I'm supposed to be spending quality time with them. Trust me, I intended to put out a nice long chapter and go through the entire fight, but I could only round off with another impending fight sequence. I woke up extra early to do this…no, I never went to bed, excuse me…but same difference, I have to go feed the horses now since that was the impression my parents are under for my early awakening. **_

_**But I hope that ya'll enjoy the chapter, and I ought to be updating next week since my relatives aren't leaving until Monday (day I go back to school and work). How annoying, I feel bad for not getting this out earlier, but I seriously haven't even checked my e-mail in 4 days. I've had people calling me, since I haven't responded to some important e-mail. **_

_**Oh snap, I'm ranting…sorry, just leave a review if you please and I hope you find time to read my next update! Take care!**_

_**Kia**_


	23. Clarified Questions Not a Chapter

Hey everybody, this is just sort of an extremely long indepth explanation of my characters and their actions. I do consider my character's actions very thoroughly. So, this is unnecessary for everybody to read, but if you are really bored and curious here it is. This was originally a personal message, though I have edited it to fit for anybody reading, so if you don't understand what question I am answering, just write me and I'll clarify it. And I am NOT pissed off at anybody or venting about anything, I'm just answering questions.

So, let's see, since this is a FANfic, certain aspects of the story are going to vary considerably. When you think about changing a storyline, I mean really, with Naruto what are going to do, make Naruto hate ramen and suddenly smarter, or make Neji and Sasuke less arrogant? Make Itachi emotional and weak? I mean, when you change the storyline, the only really positive improvement that you can make will be to Sakura. Every other change seems so negative that it would literally, ruin the story. So, yes, I chose to improve Sakura, which Sakura has always been incredibly smart anyway, so her intellect isn't that far of a stretch. And the story already follows the line of her getting tremendous strength from Tsunade's training along with almost unparallel skill at healing. So the only true stretch that I went at was her attitude and abilities. To me, her attitude isn't farfetched either, I can sort of relate. Since none of you know who I am, I can open up a little easier to you about my past. When I was little, I was never as good as my older brother (athletics, school, socially or even looks), and I was always compared to him. So, my father didn't treasure me as much or play with me as much because my elder sibling followed more in his footsteps. Now, no doubt, my father loved me, but my brother reminded him more of himself and that is something that all parents long for in some way, sense, or form. My mom, like my dad, was athletic and smart (neither of which I was). I was much wimpier and cried all too easy in comparison. I was, in a simpler word, pathetic. I couldn't stand up for myself and had nothing to stand up for. Other kids savored my failure, and lived to laugh at me. I simply started to accept what they said as true and started to wallow in my own self-pity, therefore no longer trying to defend myself against their insults, I would just hang my head and take every word of it silently. Honestly, I don't know what was worse, my thinking they were right about me, or me giving up on caring about myself or anything else around me. When I started to become immune to their taunting and laughing at my inability, they (the other kids) realized that more needed to be done to me in order for them to continue to have fun. Physical abuse became their next best friend. I have no need to go into detail, nor do I ask for any sort of pity, it is simply how I grew up. Comparing my past timid self to the me of now, I can easily see how Sakura's attitude changed. I no longer regret my differences of others around me (or my much more popular and accomplished brother) or wish to be accepted by others. I am me, and nobody else, I live to do what I want, how I want and when I want. Now, I'm not some horrible child gone bad that is emo and gothic, I simply don't feel sympathetic for many people anymore. I am really...callous. Callous is what one of my friend's used to describe me. I don't pity someone for making a mistake, I don't blame somebody else for my own mistakes, I take what comes, accept it and move on. Now that you understand that, maybe you see a little where my Sakura's attitude comes from. She is sort of (in a weird way), a semblance of my own personality. That is how I have dictated her way of thinking. And yes, a few of her situations, I have been in myself. I haven't been locked in a room with chakra surrounding it, but I have been shoved into a closet and shut in for several hours until some adult finally realized my disappearance and found me (of which I had to lie about how I ended up there because if I told the truth the others would only do worse to me). 

As for her abilities, I added those as an extra idea, probably because I sort of wish that I had the extra abilities to deal with those that messed with me. And considering that Tsunade said that she was a quick learner and everybodys' commenting that her chakra control was unrivaled, the idea that she could achieve this becomes rather believable. Now, I hold no false pretense that she could use the Hyuuga's gentle fist techinique better then them, but considering her medical background, I feel that she could learn a few chakra points and use her medical ninjutsu to hit those pressure points to her advantage. As for Lee's style, that is just straightup hard work and training, with that, I feel that anybody can accomplish anything to some degree. Plus, I love Lee's attitude of proving that hard work can beat talent, because that is like my life story ("Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" and all that mumbo jumbo). So that is my whole take on Sakura's personality and skills.

So for the fight scene, when Itachi didn't pick up on Sakura's switch, yes, I do have an explanation. She was going to explain it to him...eventually. I based it off of Zabuza's method of nullifying Kakashi's Sharingan. In Mist, Zabuza created a mist so thick that Kakashi couldn't see him, therefore couldn't use his bloodline limit against him. By doing that, Zabuza sort of leveled the playing field, making Kakashi beat him off of pure shinobi skill. Which is why that is one of my favorite fights. So, my idea, was that Sakura, remember I mentioned that she trained with Kakashi a lot to help her capture Sasuke (which the underlying interpretation was that she was finding holes in the Sharingan's defense), and when she released so much of her chakra and threw up all that dirt and debris, she temporarily nullified Itach's sharingan (I mean, why else would someone as intelligent as she is alert her enemy to how much chakra she has and waste all that energy). But anyway, under the cover of the dirt, she had already made a clone and switched places with it before Itachi ever layed eyes on her outside of the room (which is what Kakashi did the first time he fought Zabuza too except his cover was the mist). Now her real trick came in when he saw the clone but didn't notice the difference. That is again, based off of her chakra control, working off the idea that Neji couldn't tell the difference between Naruto's clones when he distributed his chakra evenly. Since Sakura has more control, and Neji's Byakugan is more perceptive to a clone then the Sharingan, I found this believable as well. Okay, so there's the explanation on how that little trick worked (all of which was going to be explained to the reader in time, but due to questioning I went on ahead and explained all of it now).

As for Itachi's knowledge of Sakura, yes he is aware of her enhanced strength, but he (being the arrogant person he is), underestimated her strength. So he is was a little taken aback of how powerful she really was, then intrigued as to how she was so tough, began analyzing her attack. Thus, the explanation he came up with (along with the slight bit of awe) of how her chakra control was the integral part of her strength. It sort of points out why every shinobi doesn't just enhance their muscles with chakra (because I wondered that for awhile and this seemed the only reasonable explanation to me). So, in short, although Itachi has the ability to enhance his strength, the amount of concentration it takes, coupled with the idea of what could happen if he messed up, deters him from trying. It's a little of a "take-that" sort of hit against Itachi. And Sakura will be using her "techniques" against Itachi in the next chapter. I was demonstrating the difference from the "battle of wits" taking place earlier, where their fighting was literally all mind games against one another with attacks that were pre-planned and thought out before executed, to the raw close-combat I'm planning to do in the next chapter. I don't know how many different techniques I'm going to put in yet, as the story line sort of flows with my thoughts at that time period. So, you'll see these "techniques" soon and you can judge if I portrayed them satisfactorily or not.

I would LOVE to thank those of you not begging for all the ItaSaku "fluff." To me, most fanfics jump into that idea way too quick. I mean, really, there is no way that the two would just randomly and suddenly "hit-it-off." They will, eventually, but I can't say when exactly because I'm sort of flowing with it too. Furthermore, I can't make the chapters as in detail as I like to, so even though there is 22 chapters, if it was still summer, several of those chapters would be together (since I would have had more time to work on it), thus there would probably only be 15 chapters. So the number is actually pretty irrelevant to me, it's more or less, what I had done by the time I felt it was time to update. 

I hope all of you continue to read, even if it is just out of some morbid curiosity on how this story turns out, and I encourage all of you to continue questioning my decisions (don't worry, you're not degrading anything and there is nothing that you could say to really hurt my feelings-everybody has their own opinion and I sure as hell won't condemn somebody for telling me theirs). It really makes me think twice before putting something down on paper. I would hate to make Sakura or Itachi do something that can't be justified, but I can't really explain how everything works within the chapters. I really hope this clears up any and all of anybodies questions, take care and I look forward to writing more for all of you. Thanks again for reading, and if you have any other questions, you know how to reach me!

Kia

P.S. The whole "you're mine" line will also be explained in time, but I don't want to ruin that yet, so just hang in there.


	24. Chapter 23

_**Haha!! I am off probation and able to update at last!!!**_

_**Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, but the story is, so if anybody decides to steal it, I will personally kick your ass **__** Don't question my authority! (hehe…South Park line…hehe) **_

Chapter 23

Itachi couldn't help the amused glint that sparked in his eyes. The uneasiness in her voice, hidden beneath the cold bitter edge was all he needed to hear.

Sakura's fists clenched in unrestrained anger at the man's silence. She knew that working off of such raw emotion was only going to lead to ruin, but at the moment she only had one thought running through her mind.

_Destroy him…_

"DAMN YOU! ANSWER ME!" Sakura roared as she forced chakra to her legs and charged the Uchiha headfirst.

Itachi watched her close the distance rapidly. Before she got within five feet, he watched her change direction from the front to his left.

Sakura's attack began in a fury, but he noticed that as she got closer to him, her body seemed to tense up, as if drawing her chakra into her body.

The kunoichi's right arm extended out to her side as she took the last couple of strides, bringing the two within arm's length of each other…bringing the two within striking range of each other.

Sakura's right hand jabbed forward quickly, aiming for a pressure point near the Uchiha's neck.

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he watched Sakura continually bring her hands forward, with only two fingers extended attempting to hit him in successive hits.

At first, Itachi dodged the attacks, but her speed seemed to be increasing with every blow she dealt.

_Moving out of her range is becoming tiresome._

The Uchiha pressed some chakra to his feet and pushed himself off the ground, landing on the side of tree, anchored with chakra, before applying more chakra and leaping off the tree and over the kunoichi's head, onto the ground behind her.

Sakura stared at him with a bored expression for a second, as if evaluating him, and that was when he felt the throbbing pain in his left arm and upper chest.

_What did she do?!_

Itachi's eyes looked down at his arm for a second before flashing up at the kunoichi accusingly while hiding the dull aching that was now plaguing his left arm and torso.

"I'm not done yet." Sakura stated as she began to charge at him again, attacking from the front before pushing off the ground and going for an aerial attack, pushing her left arm forward with chakra infused in her muscles.

Itachi swiftly reached under Sakura's left punch with his right arm and easily grasped her small thin wrist before it reached him. His grip immediately tightened and he twisted her arm slightly in his hand, forcing the girl from the air to her two feet in front of him, and sufficiently stopping her movement for a second as they stood frozen in time with cold, hard eyes glaring at each other.

"You're too slow." He stated simply.

"I may be slower physically, but you're slower mentally dobe!" Sakura rebutted viciously, with a slight tone of teasing mockery as her right arm came up to hit Itachi in the stomach.

The Uchiha watched the girl's futile attempt to harm him. He shifted his weight back, missing the attack by a few centimeters, never loosening his grip on the kunoichi.

"Still too slow."

"Damn you Uchiha!" Sakura ground out furiously. Sakura's eyes flickered up briefly at the uppercut that just missed the annoying raven-haired man before her. Her arm still suspended in the air.

_We'll see who is slower you bastard!_

Sakura's arm came down with threatening speed, aimed straight at the Uchiha's neck.

Itachi's own eyes looked up briefly to confirm what he already knew was coming.

_This kunoichi is becoming increasingly annoying._

Itachi again shifted his weight back to avoid the blow as he stared at the girl with contempt at the easily-avoided attack.

_I seemed to have higher expectations than this girl can meet. _Itachi thought bored.

Sakura's arm continued to descend unfettered past their heads…past their shoulders…past their torsos…and then Sakura couldn't hide the smirk she had been fighting.

"Gotcha." She whispered quietly.

Itachi's eyes narrowed in irritation and confusion.

_Foolish kunoichi. She hasn't won anything or even succeeded in hitting me. What is she talking about? _

His eyes flashed to the wrist still firmly gripped in his larger, more powerful hand.

_Nothing, she has done nothing._

His eyes flashed down to the hand that had failed to land a hit on him twice and the realization of their position dawned on him.

_What a clever kunoichi… _He thought for a second with admiration at her subtle attack before being replaced with hate and agitation for having to deal with her in this situation.

Sakura's smirk widened as she noticed Itachi's face smooth over from the smirk he had a minute ago.

_Fighting a medic-nin is never a good idea Itachi-san. A mistake that I'm sure you won't make again._

Sakura moved her hand forward and finally made contact with the Uchiha's hard abdomen.

A dangerous glint appeared in Itachi's narrowed eyes as he stared contemptuously at the kunoichi.

Sakura smiled back with feigned innocence.

"What's wrong Itachi-san?" Her light voice asked, her sardonic amusement evident in her tone.

_He is aware now of the power I hold over him, no point in skipping around. I mean business and he better damn well figure that out._

The Uchiha remained silent, staring down at the smaller girl, waiting patiently for an opening.

He could feel a small bit of her chakra being pushed into his body, mingling with his own chakra and flowing through his chakra network. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to use his chakra, much less utilize hers.

_Foolish girl. How long does she believe that she can maintain skin contact with me to control my chakra flow?_

"Itachi-san, are you aware of what position you're in?" She asked dangerously, applying a little more pressure to get the Uchiha's attention.

_No point in not having a little fun, ne? He is supposed to be a genius, so I'm sure he is already aware that I have full control over his body._

"Hn." He replied flatly.

_Damnit! _Sakura thought furiously. _I didn't expect him to become jittery or nervous, but I expected him to tense up some. He hasn't even seemed to have taken notice of what I could do to him._

_**Because if we were going to do something, we would have done it by now.**_

_True…but honestly, I don't have much intention of killing the Uchiha, despite his threat. Killing him would only attract the wrath of every Akatsuki member in the vicinity, and all of them would be targeting me._

_**Kill the bastard, we can handle the consequences later! The same rules of shinobi applies here as it did on any other mission! KILL HIM BEFORE HE KILLS YOU!**_

Sakura took a sidelong glance at the Uchiha.

_He won't kill me. Either he doesn't believe that he has sufficiently convinced Naruto that he has me captive or there is another objective that I'm not aware of that I have yet t fulfill._

Sakura watched Itachi's eyes cut to the side, and the quick movement caused her to instinctively shift her gaze to the spot the man before her was looking at. And a second too late, she realized the deception.

_There was nothing there, as a ninja I would follow his gaze to make sure nothing was there. He distracted me for a fraction of a second and took advantage of the opportunity._

Sakura felt the light breeze of Itachi's movement as he released himself from her touch.

_BEHIND! _Her mind screamed, but her body couldn't react as quick as the Uchiha's as he deftly pulled out a kunai while maneuvering behind the kunoichi, and held it dangerously close to her juglar.

"Sakura-san…" Itachi murmured quietly from behind her.

Sakura tensed slightly as his warm breath touched her dampened skin, sending a slight shiver down her spine from the temperature change.

"…are you aware of what position you're in?" He asked darkly, mimicking her earlier taunt perfectly.

Sakura couldn't help but smirk at the irony of the statement, her approach to kill him was a bit more subtle, but Itachi's was just as efficient.

"Hai, Itachi-san." Sakura answered calmly, her body relaxed and nonchalant to her predicament. "So, now is your move?" She asked daringly.

Itachi let out a short, quick exhalation, while considering the kunoichi.

_I didn't expect her to be so calm. She has guts, but lacks the drive. She wasn't trying to kill me, maybe in her rage she was, but not anymore. Her emotions have subsided and she has become the quiet, calculating shinobi that poses a threat._

"You should worry more about your next move rather then mine." Itachi replied smoothly.

Sakura turned her head slightly to look at him, and he saw her smile, a fake smile plastered onto her pale face hiding all of her thoughts and intentions.

She knew what was coming, she had accepted her defeat gracefully and was now submitting to the consequences of her loss.

Itachi's gaze never wavered as he brought his right arm up and brought his elbow down heavily against the side of her neck.

_To be expected from the Uchiha prodigy I suppose. _Sakura thought before falling into darkness.

Itachi let her body fall limply to the ground as he straightened himself and put the kunai back into his weapons pouch. His mind swimming with their battle.

No doubt, he had won…but a small voice in the back of his head reminded him that he only won because she didn't kill him. And that little voice bothered him, he had rarely been in life or death situations, but that little kunoichi had cornered him, then let him escape.

_Did she do it simply to prove, that she could kill me? Was it some sort of subtle threat? But why threaten me when she could have solved her problems and been done with the deed. She has killed before, she has killed many. She is in the bingo book as one of the most efficient assassins working right now, skilled and stealthy. Why did she hesitate?_

Itachi's gaze drifted down to the unconscious girl. No longer was she the dangerous kunoichi, but a simple sleeping girl.

Itachi deftly reached down and easily slid one hand behind her neck and the other under her knees and lifted the woman as if she was as light as a feather and began making his way back to the base's front door.

OoO

"I can see them up ahead." Neji said, breaking the silence that had consumed them for the last hour or so, which had previously only been disturbed by their feet lightly tapping the branches as they leapt from one branch to another.

"Yeah! We are finally catching up!" Naruto exclaimed enthralled with the news.

"Of course we are Naruto! Youth strengths our muscles and wills to save Sakura-chan!" Lee added in an equally excited tone.

"About how far ahead are they?" Shikamaru asked Neji, ignoring the two hyperactive ninjas beside him.

"Two…or three thousand meters ahead. They seem to be traveling towards something."

"Towards something?" Tenten questioned suspiciously.

Neji deactivated his byakugan and looked back at the rest of his team.

"The two Akatsuki members are not running away from us as I originally thought. We Naruto and I fought, they fled after we sensed your chakra closing in on us. At first, I thought that they didn't want to have to battle with several powerful Konoha shinobi. But…"

Neji paused, his eyes narrowed in deep concentration as he rethought his conclusions. He felt sure of his deduction, but if he was right, that meant that this whole mission was out of their hands.

"But what?" Shino prompted as he cocked his head to the side to look at Neji.

"But, they aren't traveling away from us to avoid a large fight, they are traveling to someone or something. They are moving with a set decision, a marked course, not some random direction away from us."

A silence fell for a minute as the news slowly absorbed into their minds.

"They are leading us into a trap." Sasuke finally voiced.

"Yes, but I can't see what the trap is yet." Neji conceded.

"And by the time we are within range for you to see it, it will most likely be too late to avoid it." Tenten realized grudgingly. "They know that you and Hinata-chan are with us now, so they will be setting things up to mislead you two."

"How troublesome, but I already expected something like this, so I guess it isn't much of a surprise." Shikamaru drawled out lazily. "Shino, how are your insects doing?"

"What?" Naruto questioned.

"They are doing fine, they haven't noticed them." Shino replied.

"What the hell do his bugs have to do with anything?!" Naruto shouted in confusion, trying to get their attention.

"Good, have you received any useful information from them yet?" Shikamaru continued without looking at the blond.

"Who hasn't noticed them?!" Naruto asked, grasping for some sense of understanding of the situation.

"Hai. It appears that the two Akatsuki members, Deidara and Sasori, are heading back to their base. They are intentionally allowing us to follow them, and it appears that Uchiha Itachi, for some unknown reason, instructed them to leave us all alive. It seems that Deidara wishes to turn around and finish the fight, but the other shinobi refuses to 'waste' time dealing with us. I don't know everything that will be waiting for us, but Itachi is expecting us when we finally reach their base."

"And without following them, I can assume that we won't be able to find their base." Shikamaru added. "Have they mentioned Sakura at all?"

"Briefly, the blonde said her name. Something about her not being taken care of since he wasn't there."

"So she made it to their base alive at least, so she is most likely still alive."

"M-most likely?" Hinata asked silently.

Shikamaru turned to regard the timid Hyuga. She was nothing like her cousin, she wasn't as focused or strong, but she was just as lethal in her own way.

"The second we began following Deidara and Sasori, Sakura lost her…purpose for Akatsuki. They took her as a lure, and now that we have taken the bait, her life, whether dead or alive, it is irrelevant." Shino explained to her.

Shino knew that Hinata had already understood the meaning to Shikamaru's words, but she was refusing to accept them. She needed to hear it bluntly, she needed to understand that there was a chance that Sakura would no longer be alive by the time that they got there. If Hinata lost her composure in the middle of Akatsuki territory she would break down into tears and become an easy target. If that happened, Konoha would lose more then one great kunoichi.

"They have us within their grasp and we wouldn't know that the mission is a failure until it was too late for us to turn back." Sasuke finished looking over at Naruto, who was silently fuming for being ignored.

"Hey, dobe, if you couldn't figure it out, Shino sent some of his insects after Akatsuki, so quit sulking." Sasuke explained curtly to the oblivious blonde.

"Oh. Why didn't you say so then?!" Naruto demanded, irritated for being left out on the secret.

"Nobody but Shikamaru and Shino knew Naruto. Che, quit getting upset, the rest of us are just smart enough to figure out what they were talking about." Kiba told him with a smirk.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as the others were filling in their slightly less than perceptive friend.

"Anything else?" He asked Shino.

"No." Shino answered before sinking back into silence.

"Oi, Shikamaru, how long do you think until we actually reach…well…wherever they are taking us?" Kiba asked.

"Could be in a few hours, it could be in a few days. We won't know that we are close until the two we are following stop. And they aren't going to stop until they reach our destination, so conserve your energy." Shikamaru paused for a second as he considered something.

"But, I feel confident that we can travel at a decently slow pace and they will slow down too, just to remain on the barest edge of Neji and Hinata's vision. So we can choose to risk breaking for the night, or continue on and not worry about the other two moving on without us."

"They won't continue without us, if we want to stop for a break, but we must consider what consequences stopping will bring." Neji interjected.

"What 'consequences' are you concerned about?" Kiba asked.

"They m-might turn around and a-attack us." Hinata answered quietly.

"Why would they do that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"W-well," she began, suddenly aware of all the eyes on her. "I-if they attacked us w-while we were resting, they w-would be assuming that we were tired. So, t-that makes all of us e-easy targets. And if we were threatened, or they b-brought up S-sakura-chan, then we w-would continue on a-again to try and get her back s-sooner."

"There is a high possibility that they might turn around and come after us. After banging us up a little, they would take off as they did before, and in our anger, we would chase them." Neji added, backing Hinata's reasoning.

"If we do try to stop to rest, they are going to come after us, we are going to fight, and that would just make us use up more chakra." Kiba summed up.

"Fine." Naruto declared. "We don't stop."

They all stayed quiet, knowing that they wouldn't be able to stop for a while, and that by the time they did reach the end of their journey, they may not have the strength left to complete their mission.

OoO

"How long do we take them in circles yeah?" Deidara asked his partner.

"We were told to waste as much of their chakra as possible. So, as long as that takes." Sasori answered annoyed with their assignment.

"So lets pick up the pace then yeah. The faster they have to run the quicker their tire out." Deidara pointed out.

"I know, but we need to make sure they stick with us and don't pick up on our roundabout treks We should move first towards the south side of the forest and then circle around. They would take three or so days at this rate."

"Heh, lets push them to travel it in one yeah!" Deidara responded excited at the prospect of stretching the Konoha shinobi's abilities.

"Easy, create something that they would rush to yeah!"

"And what would they rush to, Deidara?" Sasori asked, simply acquiescing to his partner's irrelevant ramblings.

"Something big that could threaten them, yeah. Something they can see from miles away." Deidara continued, getting more and more excited at the prospect of having fun with the shinobi.

Deidara thrusted his hands into the small beige pouches at his thighs as his mind began envisioning the beautiful explosion his clay would make.

"Don't kill any of them Deidara, and don't draw the attention of more shinobi, that would just waste more time." Sasori commented offhandedly.

_**Hell yeah!! I am off probation!! I am so sorry I haven't been able to update, but I haven't been allowed to touch a computer without my parent's watching and monitoring me (pain in the ass if you ask me). I finally got off probation yesterday, but yesterday I was at my cousin's wedding. So I got up extra early and wrote an extra long chapter to make it up!! I am super sorry, but I couldn't even get on long enough to post that I was in trouble. I was able to get on when I was printing out papers for school and print out some of my favorite fic updates to read in my room, but I wasn't even able to review to most of them. **_

_**Oh, and just as an FYI, don't come home after midnight from a party without asking your parents (no I don't drink alcohol so don't insinuate that). They just did the whole "we were so worried about you" thing. Which received the sarcastic reply from me of, "how worried could you have been when you knew where I was and you could have called my phone at any point in time" response. Yeah…that didn't go over to well either. And hence, my computer and extra-curricular activities suspension. **_

_**But anyway, I hope ya'll enjoyed! Review if you get a chance!! They make me happy!! Ja ne!**_

_**Kia **_


	25. Chapter 24

_**Alas, the awaited chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…wait…Wait…WaIt…WAIT…WAIT…nope, I still don't own it.**_

Chapter 24

Kisame's booming laughter resonated throughout the base as the large fish-like man looked at Itachi, or more specifically the unconscious kunoichi in his arms.

"Damn Itachi, I didn't think you'd rough her up so much," Kisame said as he took in Sakura's battered appearance.

Several small cuts could be seen on her exposed arms and legs, even her face. But those paled in comparison to the ugly bruises that were already beginning to discolor her skin into an array of sickening yellows and purples. Dirt seemed to cover every square inch of her body, infecting her cuts and marring her usual beauty and elegance.

_  
__Maybe I should have gone out to stop Itachi…she is in pretty bad shape. _Kisame thought, slightly concerned with the girl's well-being.

Kisame's eyes flicked up to meet Itachi's.

_  
__He still has his Sharingan activated, so he didn't use the Mangekyo's special ability at least. Heh…on second thought, she deserved this beating after putting us through so much trouble for the Kyuubi._ Kisame thought sardonically, but as his eyes once again roamed her body, he found himself feeling a slight twinge of regret for _not _intervening in their fight.

Kisame had known that Itachi was going to the kunoichi's room with all intentions of shedding her blood. It was rare, but Itachi had occasionally, for one reason or another, some malicious wish to tear someone apart simply to watch them bleed and beg.

_  
__Not that I hold it against him, _Kisame thought with a smirk. _His "rare occasion" is my "everyday" wish. But, I'm not sure I'd wish Itachi's torture on anyone._

Both ninjas could effectively inflict enough physical damage to make even the strongest of shinobi wish for death. But Itachi could take his torment one step farther…Itachi could break down a person's mind.

_  
__Genjutsu…what a despicable way to fight. It isn't even fighting. Breaking into your opponent's head and manipulating their thoughts, making them fight themselves or their team mates…that is…cheap… _Kisame thought, irritated that he couldn't think of a better word to describe the illusions.

"What are you going to do with her now Itachi?"

Kisame paused, half expecting the Uchiha to answer the question.

"Her room is pretty much destroyed, ne?"

Kisame allowed the silence to reply to his question again, he already knew the answer anyway.

"Aww," Kisame smirked at his teammate. "And we put so much time and effort into that barrier," he mentioned offhandedly, with a sarcastic twist to the false despairing words he spoke. "I only wish she tried to break out." He continued, unconcerned with his quiet partner. "It would have been fun to see the consequences, ne?"

"She did try."

Kisame paused a few seconds before his face twisted into a grin as a quiet, dark chuckle began to escape his lips.

"Heh…and how long has our little kunoichi been testing our barrier Itachi?" Kisame asked, slightly curious.

Itachi stared back unwavering at the shinobi. Silently, Itachi debated how to answer the question.

He'd only discovered a week ago, however, the only reason he found out was because he caught her in the act. If he hadn't seen her that time, he would still be as clueless as his teammate, and that thought irked him to no end. Itachi definitely didn't wish to divulge that the small frail girl in his arms was able to deceive him, but he could see no other way around the question.

"At least a week." He replied impassively.

Kisame immediately picked up on Itachi's wording.

_  
__…"at least"…that means he doesn't know for sure how long the girl has been working against us._

"Heh, a week, eh? We could give her a year and she wouldn't get out." Kisame said confidently, wisely avoiding the fact he picked up on.

"Hn." Itachi acknowledged simply.

A few seconds of silence pursued until Kisame finally became bored of it and turned around.

"I'm going to go get a drink." Kisame stated over his shoulder as he continued down the hall, leaving Itachi with the sleeping girl.

Itachi's eyes narrowed a little at Kisame's broad back. 

Of course, Itachi wanted to fight with the kunoichi, to test her power and skill, but, for once he hadn't thought of what to do with the girl afterwards. He had some intention to kill the kunoichi during their fight, but a small voice in his head warned him that her death wouldn't be wise.

_In fact, I still don't see why I feel she should still live. The Kyuubi is on his way, Deidara and Sasori have already assured his arrival. She no longer holds a purpose for me...but if something does come up to stop the Kyuubi, she will be necessary. I can kill her whenever, so a few more days to ensure the demon's arrival shouldn't be too much difficulty. Still, the question is what to do with her until it is time to dispose of her...___

Itachi took a fleeting look at the girl's face, then continued down another hallway. Towards his sleeping quarters.

OoO

"Damnit! I sick of this, we are just going in circles!" Naruto ground out in frustration.

"It is a good strategy, actually." Shikamaru mentioned casually. "We have no idea where to go, so that leaves us with no other option but to go after them. Furthermore, they have been gradually increasing their speed. Comparatively, we are going two to three times faster then when we originally started out."

"Che, those bastards are just toyin' with us! We should just catch up to them and beat the location of their hideout out of them!" Kiba shouted in annoyance. Akamaru readily agreed with an excited bark.

"That would be doing exactly what they want." Sasuke replied simply.

"How do you figure that one Uchicha?" Kiba asked with a slightly mocking tone.

Sasuke scowled at Kiba's remark, but answered nonetheless, knowing that his trust in Konoha still fell on his teammates' reports of him.

"As Shikamaru pointed out already, our pace keeps picking up. By the end of the day, we will probably have increased double of what we are moving at now. They have also made it easy for us to notice the scenery, so we have been able to pick up on the fact that we are running in circles easily. They set us up. We were meant to realize everything, including the subtle speed difference. They are trying to upset us, to get in our heads." Sasuke explained. 

"Think about it, all they would need then would be a bone-headed idea like yours and we would have fallen right into their trap." Shikamaru continued. "If we followed your suggestion, then they would pick up their pace as well, we wouldn't catch them, they would have just wasted more of our chakra."

"Basically, they have underestimated us as rookies, now we need to use that to our advantage." Neji added.

"They have already misjudged our intellect, so they most likely don't know how much chakra we have either." Tenten pointed out.

"We could m-make them think t-that we were low on chakra before w-we actually are." Hinata suggested.

For a few seconds, the only sound heard was the soft pat of their feet as their soles landed on the tree branches as Shikamaru contemplated the idea.

"It is risky. We won't know if they fell for it or not, and trying to trick an S-Class criminal already sounds impossible. And if they figure us out, then there are the consequences to worry about. They could approach us during the charade and we wouldn't know what to expect from them. I don't like not knowing what they are thinking, but I'm not seeing much of a choice." Shikamaru fell back into thought for a few seconds. "Che, this is just all too troublesome." He finally grumbled under his breath.

"With the power of our youth, we can definitely beat them at their own mind games." Lee said confidently.

"Then the trick will be to make them think we actually are tiring, easy." Kiba declared undeterred by Shikamaru's warning.

"No, not easy, a pain in the ass." Naruto said.

"As shinobi, we are used to hiding all of our chakra at once and keeping it hidden. But if you're running out of chakra, it is gradual, slow with the strength fluctuating as you struggle to continue doing the same amount of work." Shino explained.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan made me do it once on a mission. But I kept messing up, Sakura-chan was so mad at me." Naruto inwardly shivered at the fear he felt when he saw that murderous glint in Sakura's eyes.

As genin, she had often made him shrink in fear, but the stare she had given him on that mission made every other look she had given him pale in comparison. The mission became dependent on a situation where their enemy thought they were weakening, and Naruto had failed Sakura.

The day after they returned from their mission to Konoha, Sakura had drilled him in the technique, saying it was a skill that was necessary in the arsenal of every shinobi. She had told him that 'shinobi is only as good as his or her ability to deceive.'

Naruto didn't really understand at the time, but he still took those words to heart, and now he was actually thrown in a situation where that skill was a necessity.

Back then, Naruto didn't really like the idea of deceiving his enemies. He much preferred beating them fair and square in one-on-one combat, but after so many missions, he quickly found out that few believed in that. Sakura had explained to him that even if he chose not to deceive others, he needed to know how to, so he could see through enemy shinobi's deceptions.

_It is almost like she knew what was coming, like she knew that I would need it to save someone. Who would have thought that the 'someone' would have been Sakura-chan. _

Sasuke's voice cut through Naruto's thoughts.

"Heh, the dobe here is the only one we need to worry about blowing our cover."

"Shut up teme! Sakura-chan drilled this into me, and she was just as hard as Ero-senin." Naruto defended himself.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's response.

_Same old Naruto. _Sasuke thought smugly. _But it seems like Sakura has changed beyond recognition, they all talk so highly of her. Could the love-sick genin I once knew have honestly become so powerful?_

"Let's begin, m-" Neji began saying before a large explosion resounded through the trees.

"Shit." Shikamaru muttered. "Move!"

"What the hell is-?!" Kiba shouted as he heard an incredibly close explosive hit, sending debris up into the air no more than 100 yards behind them.

"Trap! Move out, hurry!" Shikamaru shouted over the trembling forest.

"Damnit." Sasuke grumbled.

"Neji! Hinata!" Shikamaru yelled. "Do you see the explosives?!"

Shikamaru's sight flickered over to the Hyuugas for a second to confirm that they heard them. He saw their pale eyes searching with veins rippling up the sides of their face, focusing their chakra to their Byakugan.

"I-I see thirty up ahead!" Hinata responded boldly, speaking with more authority and less timidness then usual.

"But the blonde, Deidara, is making more!" Neji divulged. "But that's not the problem, he is setting the bombs clo-"

A loud boom interrupted the prodigy as all of the shinobi stumbled forward slightly from the force of the explosion.

_That was closer! _Shikamaru screamed in his mind.

"The bombs," Neji continued. "He is placing them closer together; we have less time to get past each explosion before it goes off." Neji finished, confirming what Shikamaru had already theorized.

_They have thought of everything. _Shikamaru thought sardonically. _We would all tire out before Naruto, all they have to do is wear us down enough, then only Naruto will be left to save himself, and he can't take on two S-class criminals on his own, he wouldn't even stand a chance. Damnit!_

Shikamaru's mind immediately began rethinking their situation.

_At this rate, the explosions will simply go off sooner and sooner until they are right behind us. We are going to have to pick up the pace, but that is going to waste too much of our chakra. Tenten is already down on her levels, even if she is trying not to show it, and I know that Hinata will be on her way soon enough. We will all fall, one by one, to be engulfed in flames. _

_I'm missing something! There has to be something! What other alternative could there be…_

And his mind suddenly clicked as the plan formed. It had drawbacks, but there was nothing he could do about that.

"Split up!" Shikamaru ordered. "Neji take left with Shino, Tenten and Lee! Avoid the landmines as much as possible. Hopefully the two Akatsuki members will split up to keep track of us. Watch them and see what happens, if they both come after us, hurry back. I'll have Hinata do the same. The rest of you, follow me!" And Shikamaru darted off to the right, with Hinata, Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru and Sasuke close behind.

_**Okay, it took me forever to update, I know, I'm ashamed pouts in corner. But looking at the bright side, better late then never, ne? Excuses are ridiculous, so I'm not going to give one, but if you wish to get on my case about it, I won't object…I deserve it. But anyway, I hope that you enjoy the chapter, loads and will review. Take care everybody and thanks for supporting me so much!!**_

_**Kia**_

_**P.S. I'm sorry Rae, but thank you for persistently reminding me that I hadn't updated (It really motivated me to put my thinking cap on…hehe…thinking caps are cool…mine is greeeeeeeen!! running around while laughing manically )**_


	26. Chapter 25

_**Alas…I still don't own Naruto…damnit….**_

Chapter 25

"Wha-"

_What is going on?_

Pale eyelids fought against invisible lead weights to open.

_What happened?_

Sakura's eyelids finally cracked open, allowing her a blurred view of the ceiling.

_My room? Wait…no…my room was…shit!_

Sakura's muscled involuntarily tensed as her eyes shot open to take in her surroundings. Immediately, she began sensing for nearby chakras; however, she merely confirmed what she already suspected she was going to find.

Faintly, she felt the Sharingan master's chakra to her right, six or so feet to her right. The flow was being mostly concealed simply out of habit, but Itachi wasn't in full stealth mode, so the slight stream of chakra that radiated off him allowed her to pinpoint his location with relative ease.

Sakura's eyes cut to the side, allowing her to make out a shadow in the darkened room, sitting in an equally dark armchair. One foot was casually propped up on the edge of the seat, while his other leg, stretched out leisurely. The outline of his hands resting on his raised leg could be seen in the flickering light of the room. But the thing that stood out the most was his blood red eyes, staring off into the darkness.

Sakura's mind instinctively went into defensive mode, forcing her mind to focus more on the steady flow of his chakra, looking-no, expecting, a fluctuation in the chakra that circulated through the Uchiha, hoping that her keen senses would help her anticipate Itachi's actions.

_More accurately, anticipate when he is going to attack me so I can go ahead and begin circulating my chakra to absorb most of the damage, that way he can't injure me any worse then I already am. I don't even have a chance of dodging in this condition. _Sakura thought grimly.

Slowly, Sakura began pushing her sore body from the bed, her wary eyes never leaving Itachi's form, her mind still assessing the even flow of chakra radiating from him.

_Damnit…_Sakura bit back the pain as she kept her face just as placid as the Uchiha near her, while mentally diagnosing herself.

_Five cracked ribs, two broken ribs, fractured collar bone and shoulder blade. That isn't even looking at the severe hemorrhaging and bruising, or the excessive amount of stressed and torn muscles and ligaments._

During their fight, her shinobi instincts and training, with a little help from adrenaline, masked her injuries and didn't allow her mind to process the pain. The damage was a fleeting thought that was quickly labeled non-life threatening and pushed to the farthest recesses of her mind.

But now nothing remained to dull the throbs that were constantly racking her body.

After nearly a minute had passed, Sakura found herself sitting up on the side of a bed, her feet resting lightly on the cold floor, and her eyes boldly meeting Itachi's crimson pinwheels.

_What is he doing? _She wondered curiously. _He hasn't moved since I woke up?_

Slowly, Sakura molded chakra to her hands, watching and waiting in to see Itachi's reaction.

_He doesn't seem to even care. _Sakura thought cautiously.

_**Bastard, doesn't he remember anything about our fight? I held my own decently enough against him!**_

_Get over it. I can't heal myself without my ninjutsu, and if he doesn't care, then all the better for me._

_**Not the point! He should see us a threat, not some foolish girl that couldn't even kill a flea!**_

_I don't care, his opinion of me is irrelevant, but how he acts is the measure of caution he has around me. The less cautious, the better my situation._

_**But he isn't even slightly guarded around us.**_

_Quit thinking so petty._

_**I still want to teach him a lesson in letting his guard down, especially around me!**_

Sakura didn't reply to her inner self's last comment. She knew deep down the urge to remind him of her power existed, the urge to rekindle the intensity of their blows remained, the urge to make him as wary of her as she was of him burned strongly.

With the vaguest sense of realization, Sakura's hand passed over her more serious injuries, pausing briefly as bones mended together and veins reformed. She could feel the tissues of her agonizing muscles building themselves back up.

Sakura felt the strain and soreness in her body dissipating as she healed her body in silence; her eyes still remained on the figure looming in the corner.

Itachi hadn't budged since Sakura began stirring, nor did he stir as she healed herself. His body remained resting lightly in the dark armchair, his gaze occasionally flickering over to the girl, but mostly focusing on the still room, hinting to his faraway thoughts.

The kunoichi's behavior amused him somewhat when the few times he looked over at her, she daringly met his gaze.

_I've never met someone who regards the Tsukyomi so carelessly. She must have some sort of death wish. I wonder if I should grant it…_

Itachi had felt her boring into him at all times, though he showed no indication of caring or reacting to her. Choosing to disregard the kunoichi as the weak girl he knew she was.

_Physically she may be strong, but being able to defeat an enemy and kill them are two different tasks. This girl is weak mentally. It is drilled into every genin, the rules of the shinobi, the ways to survive as a ninja. Just as simple as breathing, a shinobi must kill their enemy before they are killed by their enemy. Yet, she threw this rule to the side when facing me…a proven killer…one that won't back down…one that won't hesitate._

His eyes slid back to meet the jade orbs of the girl, who was obviously hiding an immense amount of pain behind an emotionless mask while her pale glowing hand moved over her body.

_But I did hesitate…maybe just this once…but I didn't follow the rule just as much as she didn't. Why did I hesitate?_

Itachi's blank face hid his thoughts as his eyes roamed over the girl's face.

_There is nothing spectacular about this kunoichi. She isn't needed for anything, she isn't going to become an ally, she is over emotional, she is loyal to her village, and she is…naïve. I have no purpose for this girl. Her life should have ended on that battlefield. I should go ahead and end it now._

But he knew he wouldn't. This girl had piqued his curiosity; for as much as she couldn't figure him out, he couldn't figure her out.

OoO

"Damnit! Move! Naruto take the lead!" Shikamaru shouted to the blonde.

"Hai!" Naruto replied as he surged past the others.

"Hinata! Where is the next-!" Shikamaru yelled over the rumbling earth as he dropped back to match the Hyuga's pace.

"Twenty meters ahead! They expected something like this! He has them planted across the forest!" Hinata answered before Shikamaru finished his question.

"What if we stop!?" Kiba asked. "Let the damn things go off before we reach them!"

"N-No!" Hinata answered. "Akatsuki has additional bombs placed behind us that they can detonate i-if we turn back. But even if they didn't, t-these bombs…they aren't like our exploding tags…they can _move_!" She said near disbelief at what her eyes were saying.

"Naruto, you said that it you and Neji fought Deidara and Sasori?" Shikamaru asked, though it was more of a confirmation of the fact.

"Yeah." Naruto answered hesitantly, unsure of how that was significant.

"Damn. Deidara is an explosives expert. That means we split up for the wrong reason. No matter where we go, all he has to do is make a bomb and send it after us." Shikamaru explained irritated at their situation.

"I-If we split up enough." Hinata thought aloud. "They m-may be forced apart."

"Alright Hinata-chan! Then each of our groups would only have to deal with one of them. All of us can take one of them easy!" Naruto shouted triumphantly.

"Is there any way we can tell the plan to Neji and them?" Kiba asked.

"No. They are going to have to figure this out on their own. We couldn't send a message quick enough or without one of the Akatsuki figuring out our plan." Sasuke answered.

_Damnit…how troublesome. I should have figured something like this would happen. Nothing can go in our favor. _Shikamaru thought frustrated.

"There has to be someway." Naruto persisted optimistically.

Shikamaru brooded deeply for a few minutes, before it hit him.

"No, there may just be a way." Shikamaru began as his mind began piecing together a plan.

OoO

"This onslaught isn't going to be ending anytime soon." Neji voiced simply.

"Is there anyway we can avoid it?" Tenten asked as she watched Neji's byakugan scan ahead.

"We can keep this pace up easily!" Lee declared unphased by Neji's statement.

"Maybe this pace, but Akatsuki would set this up to force us to increase our pace, as Shikamaru said before we split up." Shino reminded him.

"Then we will have to match their pace every time!" Lee persisted.

"No." Neji replied. "He can manipulate his explosives. He isn't planting these as we go with careful planning as I originally thought. He is sending them after us from where he is now. There is nowhere to hide, we can't just avoid explosive tags."

"Then what are we going to do Neji?" Tenten asked a little worried. "You ruled out every plan I came up with."

"Then we just need to come up with more." Shino remarked. "Our ability to adapt to different situations…that is what makes us shinobi."

"Hai," Tenten replied at little unsure.

_But how do we adapt to an enemy we can't touch or see, _she thought solemnly,_ but can attack us at any time with any varying strength of explosive. What this Deidara guy is throwing at us now, is bound to be just the beginning of what he can do._

_**Sorry for not updating Sunday, I always have to do this at "odd hours" aka when my parents go to bed. But last night, I sort of fell asleep before they did by accident (Gomen!).**_

_**Hmm…not much really happening in this chapter, but I still hope that you enjoyed it. And I'm so excited about the next one. Oh…but I can't say anything; it'll give too much away! This is more transitional and explanatory, the thoughts behind the coming occurrences. Take care peeps and review if you can (they make me feel special)!**_

_**Kia**_


	27. Chapter 26

_**Hola! Chapter 26 is done and ready to go! I hope you enjoy and for anybody who hasn't realized it yet, I don't own Naruto!**_

Chapter 26

"Then what are we going to do Neji?" Tenten asked a little worried. "You ruled out every plan I came up with."

"Then we just need to come up with more." Shino remarked. "Our ability to adapt to different situations…that is what makes us shinobi."

"Hai," Tenten replied at little unsure.

_But how do we adapt to an enemy we can't touch or see, _she thought solemnly,_ but can attack us at any time with any varying strength of explosive. What this Deidara guy is throwing at us now, is bound to be just the beginning of what he can do._

"It is alright Tenten. We can defeat them." Lee said confidently.

Tenten nodded her head, slightly reassured by her teammate's confidence.

_I know I shouldn't doubt my team's abilities, but is it really possible to outwit the Akatsuki? They're criminals, on the run for several years, and nobody has been able to take either of them out. Now we have to outsmart them? _

"So, then…" Tenten breached slowly. "What is _your_ plan Neji?"

The Hyuuga was silent for a little while, contemplating and searching his mind for a plan.

_What is my plan…we could continue trying to separate from Shikamaru's team and hope that the Akatsuki members will separate to keep track and deal with each group individually. But that may lead to losing sight of Shikamaru's group…is it worth that risk? Even if we go far enough away from them, I could still keep the Akatsuki in sight, that way, I would be alerted if both of them turned to attack the other group…but could we reach the others in time if that happened? Or what if they both turned to come after us, there is no way Shikamaru and the others could get to us quick enough to help…it is risky both ways. But, there is still the chance that the two Akatsuki would split up like we want them to…_

"There is a type of bird that lives by consuming a certain species of beetles."

Neji was shaken out of his thoughts by Shino's…strange comment.

"Huh?" Tenten asked confused by his apparently random thought, and further enforced her confusion by throwing him a look over her shoulder.

Lee also looked over at Shino, a slightly more then bewildered look on his face.

"In order for the beetle survive, it started to leave its normal home and began living near another creature…the enemy of its enemy...the snake. At first, the birds suffered greatly, and started dying off from lack of food, while the beetles they once preyed on grew in numbers, thriving off the snake's existence. But finally, two of the birds, in a desperate attempt at survival, worked together to get a meal. One bird served as a distraction and flew low to the ground to draw the snake out of its home, while the other bird went to the snake's unattended home and consumed as many of the beetles as it could."

Shino looked over to Neji, his eyes hidden under his dark shades.

"Which bird would you rather be?" Shino asked.

OoO

Sakura's hand dropped slowly into her lap as she finally finished the painstaking task of healing herself.

_Hmm…he messed me up pretty good._

_**But he cheated! He began the fight before we had full access to our chakra and that damn room interrupted our chakra flow! We didn't get a chance to show off our true strength until we were outside, and by then we had already endured considerable damage, how is that actually considered a fair fight?!**_

_There is no such thing as a cheater between adversaries when you are a shinobi, only ninjas with advantages._

_**Now your own chakra and your ability to manipulate it can be taken away, and you are calling it an advantage?! I call that a damn **__**handicap**___

_Call it what you will, but if I had the same "handicap" over him, I would have exploited it without hesitation._

Sakura's Inner-Self fell silent.

There was nothing to argue. It was true. They fought as shinobi, and every shinobi was willing to do whatever was necessary to win and accomplish their mission.

Shinobi held no disillusioned honor for their opponent, felt no remorse for striking their target in their slumber, held no reservations in killing an unarmed opponent, or murdering an innocent person in cold-blood.

There were few rules for shinobi. All of the shinobi "laws" that she had so painstakingly memorized as a genin were nothing more then guidelines that shinobi acknowledge. Every "rule" could be bent and shaped to fit the shinobi's perspective…no matter how twisted.

There were only three true ideals that all shinobi truly lived by…first, and foremost, protect your village; then protect your comrades; and finally strike down your enemy without mercy or hesitation.

Even the organization, Akatsuki, which is filled with nothing but vile and cold-blooded murderers that defected from their home village, followed these rules. They are loyal and protect the whole of their organization, working for the group's "greater good." Even though they don't form bonds with one another, their missions are carried out in pairs, and while working together they still manage to defend their partner's blindside. And who would be fool enough to doubt the ruthlessness of an Akatsuki member?

The "code of life" was Shikamaru's nickname for the rules.

FLASHBACK

"_Heh, you're going to end up getting yourself killed if you continue working like this?" Shikamaru drawled._

"_Like what?" Sakura asked with a hint of annoyance. _

"_You can't keep trying to save everyone on a mission. Worry about your comrades first, then consider the target. If you have someone to protect, save them. If not, then the mission is an assassination and the target is supposed to die anyway. Leave civilians out of it, they are not our problem."_

_The two had just returned from a mission to the Village Hidden in the Grass. The mission itself was a simple assassination, but a few issues occurred and made their work a little more complicated._

_Their target was somehow tipped off about his impending death and tried to flee. That quickly turned their mission from stealth to search and destroy. But the target had some hired shinobi, nothing compared to the skill of Sakura and Shikamaru, and could have been easily eliminated but there was a slight problem. _

_Their target made his stand in the middle of the town, surrounded by many innocent people. The Konoha shinobi were no longer trying to simply kill the opposing ninjas, but minimize civilian injuries as well. Unfortunately for Sakura and Shikamaru, their adversaries somehow knew their reaction to the crowd and used it to their advantage._

_The mission was, of course, a success, but Sakura refused to leave until she healed every maimed person in the vicinity, which strained her already low chakra levels. _

"_I have no regrets. They were innocent bystanders that got caught in the crossfire, they shouldn't be harmed or die because of us." Sakura replied._

"_I didn't ask if you have regrets. I'm remarking on your wish to keep everyone alive. People are going to get caught in the middle, nothing we can do. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, simple as that. But you wasted a lot of chakra on them. What if we were ambushed on our way back to Konoha? You wouldn't have been up to speed to be of any use. You jeopardize your life and your teammates when you do that."_

"_I didn't waste my chakra on anything." Sakura defended stubbornly, agitated that Shikamaru considered her work a waste._

"_Sakura, you're disobeying one of the rules in our 'code of life'." Shikamaru pointed out._

"_Heh, is that so? And what the hell is the 'code of life' might I ask?" Sakura asked contemptuously. _

"_I thought about it once…you known the three 'laws' of shinobi?" Shikamaru began._

"_Yeah." Sakura answered curtly._

"_Well, think about it. Those rules, and your ability to follow them, determine your life…whether you live or die."_

_Sakura stayed silent for a second, waiting for him to continue. Her previous anger dissipated and replaced by curiosity. _

"_I mean, if you don't protect your village, then the village will fall, leaving you either dead or close to it. And if you don't protect your comrades, then nobody will be there to protect you either, and that leaves you in a rather precarious position too. And at the first chance your enemy gets to kill you, obviously they will take it, so you should solve the problem and take your enemy's life first." He explained._

"_Life or death, huh?" Sakura whispered quietly. "Sounds more like the 'code of fate' to me." _

"_No, Naruto already proved to all of us at the chunnin exams that fate can be changed." Shikamaru smirked as he said this while recalling the memory, before the small turn of his lips slipped off of his face. "This code is absolute; it is our life, not some destiny that we can defy just from willpower or extra work."_

_The two continued on down the road in silence. Sakura was deeply contemplating and considering Shikamaru's words._

"_You know, I think you just might be on to something there…" Sakura said quietly. "The 'code of life' does fit our rules quite nicely." _

END FLASHBACK

Sakura's eyes refocused on the Uchiha as she sat silently, waiting for her captor to speak.

She still sat on the edge of the bed, her feet lightly resting on the cold wooden floor and her hands fisted in the sheets. Itachi hadn't moved either, literally.

He still sat as relaxed as before, and didn't even seem to recognize her existence or consciousness. He sat quietly staring at the wall, as if thinking about something, not altogether paying attention to his captive, but enough to react if Sakura tried to do anything.

The minutes seemed to drag slowly on, and Sakura found herself all too quickly losing her patience.

_Does he just intend to sit there and stare at the damn wall all day! _

"Is there something I can do for you?" Sakura managed politely, with only a slightly harsh undertone in the question.

Itachi remained staring at the wall. Several more minutes dragged by. And just as Sakura was about to demand a reply, Itachi turned his head slowly, allowing his blood red eyes to meet Sakura's green orbs, which were now dancing with a fiery passion.

"No."

Itachi turned his red eyes to the wall again as silence engulfed the two once more.

_No? He said no? After all that?! All he had to say was 'no!' What an irritating little bastard!_

"Then you can leave. I have no business with you either." Sakura challenged.

Once again, Itachi's eyes met her own. Amusement glinted in his eyes ever so slightly at her comments. He could see it in her face, her abrasive personality, daring him to challenge her.

"No." He replied once again, letting a small smirk adorn his face, waiting for her answering challenge.

Sakura took a deep breath, trying to calm her flaring temper and smother the urge to hit the Uchiha.

"Che…cold-blooded bastard." Sakura murmured with a slightly childish air. Averting her gaze to the bed sheets she was currently sitting on.

Silence reigned once again.

Itachi remained as collected and relaxed as always, while Sakura became more and more fidgety.

_I don't get him. Why the hell is he wasting his time in here with me? He could easily knock me out and then not have to deal with me, he could do as he pleases…so why is he choosing to babysit me?_

_**Maybe he likes the view… **_Inner Sakura suggested.

_Where the hell did you get that idea?!_

_**I thought it would distract you…a little…maybe? **_Her Inner thought hopefully.

_No. But I don't need a distraction right now anyway. I need to focus…why would Uchiha Itachi choose to voluntarily watch over me instead of having a lackey do it, or even throwing me in that cell?_

_**Are you actually complaining?! That cell we woke up in was a living hell! It depleted our systems until we couldn't even stand on our own feet without-!**_

_I'm not complaining! No, I never want to revisit that hell…I'm analyzing. There is no logical reason; I have no information to give, nor a special skill that he needs to be present to counter. There is no reason for his presence! Why won't he leave me alone?!_

_**Look at you…that's why…**_

_Me? What about me? _

_**You are completely thrown off. You don't know what to think. You are so pressured from his presence…don't you think that this works in his favor?**_

_My mindset? My nerves? That's what it is? He is trying to slowly breakdown my mind?_

_**No, I think he is trying to prevent our mind from thinking.**_

Slowly, the realization hit Sakura.

_If he is here, I can't concentrate on a way out because I'm too worried about what __he__ is going to do! That is exactly what it is! Without my focus, I can't possibly come up with a decent way to escape or deal with these assholes! Hell, in this situation, even if I could manage to concentrate on getting out of here, I couldn't enact it before __he__ thwarted it! I can't believe it took me so long to realize it…_

_**Bastard.**_

"And what is your reasoning for that?"

Sakura was brought out of her thinking at the sound of Itachi's smooth voice.

"What are you-?" Sakura began, without thinking, before ending abruptly.

_He is referring to my earlier comment? When I called him a 'cold-blooded bastard'? _

_**Che…took him long enough to reply…**_

"It isn't that complicated it is?" Sakura bit out sarcastically. "It takes a cold-blooded person to annihilate every member of their family and clan…with the exception of _little _Sasuke, of course." Sakura emphasized his brother's name, almost mockingly.

Itachi turned his head to face her, his eyes boring into hers with a deep intensity. She could feel his animosity, penetrating the air…and giving her a giddy sense of excitement.

"Why did you leave him anyway Uchiha? I have always wondered that…is he the repentance of your crimes? Let one of your kin live, and it makes your guilt a little bit more…bearable?"

Silence was Sakura's only reply. She hesitated, but after seeing Itachi's indifferent face looking back at her without a care, her…crueler nature took over.

"Che…glad to see that _little _Sasuke has alleviated your disgrace." Then Sakura paused for a second, adopting a sickening smirk before continuing.

Itachi's red eyes had begun to spin maliciously by this time. Warning Sakura to stop, but she paid him no heed, reveling in the anger she was easily getting out of him.

"No, I take that back. You have nothing, you feel no remorse or pain. Tell me Uchiha, what is it like to be the socially challenged black sheep of the fam-" Sakura was quickly choked off as Itachi flashed out of her line of sight and reappeared suddenly, holding her neck tightly while pinning her body to the bed she had been sitting on.

Sakura stared amused right back into Itachi's eyes.

_He doesn't control my actions or thinking…I refuse to let him have any effect on me! Let's see his reaction to me when I don't do as he expects! I won't be manipulated by anyone!_

A small thought passed through her mind that she had lost her sanity, but it quickly passed, replaced by the thrill of her adversary…and overcoming a great obstacle, her own anxiety and fear.

"You'd do well to mind what you say _little _kunoichi." Itachi whispered. But the low tone of his voice did nothing to alleviate the deathly threat underlying his words and anger.

_Fear is nothing more then a prison that holds back weak minded people. _Sakura realized._ I am no longer weak…Shikamaru once told me that "A fool follows orders from others, but a genius follows their own rules." I think I finally understand what he truly meant by that. I won't conform to what Itachi wants, and expects me to do. I won't cower and sit quietly waiting for something to happen. I'll make something happen, and I'm going to make it happen my way, by my own rules._

"And if I don't?" Sakura challenged once again, a satisfied smirk etched on her face.

OoO

_Damnit…how troublesome. I should have figured something like this would happen. Nothing can go in our favor. _Shikamaru thought frustrated.

"There has to be someway." Naruto persisted optimistically.

Shikamaru brooded deeply for a few minutes, before it hit him.

"No, there may just be a way." Shikamaru began as his mind began piecing together a plan.

"Hinata, can you see Neji and the others with your Byakugan?" Shikamaru queried.

"Y-yeah." She answered unsure.

"How does that help?" Kiba asked confused.

Shikamaru smirked.

_There is a way. It has a lot of "if" problems, but we can't be picky in this situation. Now, how can Hinata get Neji's attention? Unless he decides to search for us, he won't see us…though he may be keeping us on the outside of his vision. But, can he actually keep tabs of us while focusing on the enemy? Somehow the Akatsuki are aware of how far the Byakugan can see ahead, and they are dancing on the edge of Hinata and Neji's sight…so Neji is most likely focusing on trying to look past the Byakugan's "barrier" knowing him._

"Hinata is there anyway that you can get Neji's attention?" Shikamaru asked, confirming what he already knew.

"Umm…not unless he l-looks over at u-us." She replied, still trying to figure out Shikamaru's plan.

"What if one of us elevated our chakra level?" Sasuke asked, picking up on Shikamaru's idea.

Shikamaru was silent for a few seconds, the rumbling earth from Deidara's latest explosion became the only noise around the shinobi as he considered the idea.

_Neji is probably most concerned about Hinata, so he'd pay more attention to her. So, if he felt her chakra signature suddenly flare up…that might work… _

Shikamaru looked over at the Hyuuga, she was holding up fairly well, but her chakra level was still falling. No matter how well she tried to hide it, the truth was still there.

_Che…I couldn't even expect my own body to increase my chakra output without having some consequences. Most of us are already feeling the effects of this grueling pace, and on top of that, none of us have rested since our little scouting mission. Neji and Naruto, also had a run in with the Akatsuki members…though Naruto doesn't seem to be phased in the least. Damn Uchiha doesn't seem to be affected either…how troublesome…_

"I don't get it!" Naruto complained loudly. "What do you mean, getting Neji's attention? How would raising our chakra level help?"

_Wait! Naruto! That is it! Neji knows Naruto's secret now! Neji can't help but feel concerned about Naruto's stability, especially around Hinata! It is Neji's responsibility to look after her! I was apprehensive about Naruto when I first found out about the nine-tailed fox demon in him, but Neji still hasn't had enough time to consider the situation. He has to be worried that Naruto can't control the demon, it is only natural for him to be concerned about Hinata's welfare around him! No doubt...Neji will definitely react to Naruto's chakra!_

"That just might work." Shikamaru stated, steadily becoming more reassured that his plan would succeed.

"Think about it dobe. Both Neji and Hinata have the Byakugan." Sasuke explained half-heartedly. "So, we can use the two to communicate without speaking directly to them or seeing them. But the problem is, we need Neji to look at Hinata without drawing the attention of the Akatsuki members."

"Right." Kiba and Naruto replied in unison.

"So, how does sending out our chakra help? Won't the Akatsuki members feel it too and make them wonder?" Naruto asked curiously.

"That is just the problem…" Shikamaru replied absently.

Suddenly, Hinata gasped, drawing the attention of her teammates.

"Hina-" Naruto began concerned.

"RUN!" Hinata screamed suddenly.

"Shit, what the-" Kiba started, but was cut off as a vicious explosion sent his body catapulting through the air.

Another loud explosion went off, only a few yards behind the Konoha shinobi. The force from the explosion sent the ninjas flying forward.

They could all feel the heat of the fire against their backs, scorching the ends of their hair as the smoke hid the ninjas' forms from each other.

Sasuke was the first to react, his eyes scanning around for the others but to no avail. The Uchiha flipped his body forward, twisting so that he was facing where the explosion went off. Using his momentum from the flip, he brought his feet in contact with the ground and felt his body continue sliding backwards against the dirt.

As soon as he felt the solid earth beneath him, Sasuke leaned forward on the balls of his feet while his left hand reached deftly into the pouch bound to his thigh. Immediately, he pulled out a kunai and dug it into the ground, trying to slow down his momentum while his right hand stayed out to the side, helping him maintain his balance.

A few seconds later, Sasuke felt his body begin to slow down from the blast. But not a second later, he saw a blur of gray fly towards him.

_Shit!_

Sasuke immediately braced himself for the impact as his comrade's body collided into his own. He emitted a low grunt at the contact, but his left hand immediately dropped the kunai as he reached up with both hands and supported the body in his arms.

He could already feel his balance leaving him, as he rocked back on his heels and lost his footing. For several seconds his body was suspended in the air, before landing harshly on the unforgiving ground, sliding until his back slammed into a tree.

Sasuke took a deep breath as the air was forced out of his lungs. He sat there for a few seconds, regaining control of his breathing before he looked down at the girl in his arms.

He realized that Hinata's gray jacket was the blur he saw earlier, and Sasuke decided that it was a good thing he chose to catch the girl rather then dodge her body. She was tired. He knew that she was fatigued earlier, but he hadn't quite realized just how much chakra the girl used up. She remained motionless in his arms, the slight raising and lowering of her chest was the only indication of life.

_The Byakugan must absorb a lot of chakra, and using it while running at this pace must have depleted a lot of her chakra fairly quickly. Still, Neji maintains his for a lot longer periods of time. What is up with kunoichi's from this village, why can't any of them be strong?_

Sasuke looked up from her form as the dust and debris slowly started to settle. He could already see other silhouettes moving in the thick air.

The Uchiha gathered Hinata in his arms more securely and rose to his feet with her body in tow as he walked forward to meet up with the other shadows.

"Damn tree." Kiba muttered as he wondered over to the others.

"Where is Naruto? He was in the back, closest to the explosion." Shikamaru asked ignoring Kiba's complaints.

"I'm fine." Naruto stated as he joined the others. "Is everybody else alri-" Suddenly Naruto sucked in a lot of air. "Hinata-chan!" He exclaimed, fear written all over his face as he looked down at the girl in Sasuke's arms with wide, shocked eyes.

Shikamaru reached out slightly hesitant, and began examining her for any large injuries.

_Damnit, we don't have a medic-nin. I don't have a clue as to what we should do with her. _Shikamaru thought irritably.

Kiba stood anxiously, staring in disbelief at his unconscious teammates.

_It can't be…Hinata can't be hurt. She has to be okay. _Kiba thought desperately as Akamaru whimpered quietly by Kiba's side.

"She isn't dead." Sasuke stated, slightly annoyed at his teammates excessive concern.

"That isn't what I'm worried about." Shikamaru replied. "She could have gotten a concussion if she was hit in the head. And besides that, if we have to carry her, that puts us two ninjas down since one of us will have to stay with her to protect her. She was also integral to my plan. Now I'm going to have to come up with something else if she doesn't wake up." Shikamaru pointed out, before pausing and letting a small, genuine smile appear on his face. "Besides, the mission, Hinata is one of us…a shinobi, and if we don't look after each other then what hope do we have to survive?"

Sasuke stood quietly, without moving and without a reply, as the others watched Hinata with concern and ever so slowly, Hinata's eyes fluttered open.

"N-Naruto-kun?" She asked timidly, looking up at Naruto's cerulean eyes.

"Hinata-chan." Naruto breathed with relief. The blonde impulsively reached out and took Hinata from Sasuke, holding her body close to his.

Hinata's cheeks flushed pink as she felt Naruto's arms encircling her.

"We need to move." Sasuke said.

"But Hinata-chan needs-" Naruto began.

"She is going to need a lot more help if we don't get moving." Shikamaru cut in, agreeing with Sasuke.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said quietly, blood rushing to her face, tinting her cheeks an even darker shade.

"Hai?" Naruto asked curiously, looking down at the girl in his arms.

"Y-You can p-put me down. I-I can w-walk on m-my own." She muttered embarrassed while averting her eyes.

"No." Naruto said firmly. "You need to rest." He declared, his grip becoming tighter. "You sound like Sakura-chan," he mused. "Don't push yourself so much." He offered with a smile.

"I agree." Kiba voiced. "Stay put Hinata. You're fine," Kiba smiled reassuring. "Besides, I can carry you if Naruto is too weak to do it." Kiba jibed at the blonde.

Naruto immediately glared back at Kiba, but the amusement still danced in Naruto's eyes.

"T-Thank you, Kiba, N-Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled back at the boys timidly.

"Come on." Shikamaru persisted. "We need to hurry up and move before another explosive goes off."

"Hai." The men replied, and promptly they took off again, moving at an even harder pace then before.

_Shit…this isn't good. We need Hinata in order to communicate with Neji's group. _Shikamaru's gaze drifted over to the kunoichi. _She'll need some time to recuperate enough chakra for to her to use the Byakugan. Geez, this is so troublesome…_

_**Hello my ever faithful readers!! Sorry I didn't update last week, but I made this chapter twice as long as normal, so please don't throw stuff at me!! Anyway, I can't talk long, but thanks to everyone that reviewed, I appreciate it a lot!! Until next time, ja ne!**_

_**Kia**_

_**P.S. Rae, I'd love to talk to you, so you seriously need to get an account (sorry I can't e-mail you, I'd rather if nobody knew my e-mail address)! **_


	28. Chapter 27

_**OMG, guess what?! I don't own Naruto…hehe, got you all psyched out for nothing…In any case, here to the LONG (and I mean really really long) awaited chapter! Sry for not getting back sooner, but I'll try every other week! Arigato for reading and review if you love me!!**_

Chapter 28

Sakura stared amused right back into Itachi's eyes.

_He doesn't control my actions or thinking…I refuse to let him have any effect on me! Let's see his reaction to me when I don't do as he expects! I won't be manipulated by anyone!_

A small thought passed through her mind that she had lost her sanity, but it quickly passed, replaced by the thrill of her adversary…and overcoming a great obstacle, her own anxiety and fear.

"You'd do well to mind what you say little kunoichi." Itachi whispered. But the low tone of his voice did nothing to alleviate the deathly threat underlying his words and anger.

_Fear is nothing more then a prison that holds back weak-minded people. Sakura realized. I am no longer weak…Shikamaru once told me that "A fool follows orders from others, but a genius follows their own rules." I think I finally understand what he truly meant by that. I won't conform to what Itachi wants, and expects me to do. I won't cower and sit quietly waiting for something to happen. I'll make something happen, and I'm going to make it happen my way, by my own rules._

"And if I don't?" Sakura challenged once again, a satisfied smirk etched on her face.

"And if you don't, then you will learn the true depth of the torture I can put you through." Itachi whispered with a hard edge.

"Is that so?" Sakura egged the Uchiha on. The slight thrill she felt from having the man's threatening person near her gave her courage to continue her game.

"Your comrades are on their way as we speak, your actions dictate their fate. Is that enough of an incentive for you to hold your tongue?" Itachi asked evenly.

Sakura's breath hitched in surprise as her eyes widened slightly.

_My actions dictate their fate? What kind of comment is that? My use is gone, he just confirmed what I've known for a while now, my usefulness has reached its limit, and I'm no longer necessary. In theory, I _should_ be terminated! Hell, if I were in his predicament I wouldn't have even let him regain consciousness! What is this Uchiha trying to gain?!_

And it was this last thought that set Sakura's blood on a low boil. Her eyes narrowed to slit as her breathing evened out and her muscles tensed in anticipation.

"What the hell does that mean Uchiha?!" She viciously spat out to the stoic man hovering over her.

Itachi revealed in the ability to throw the girl off. He doubted that he would have noticed the slight change in her breathing if he wasn't so close, but the way her eyes widened was enough of an indication for him to know that he had finally gotten her attention. And her anger had come on so quickly, he was surprised at how quickly she changed her emotions, and was even more amazed at how passionately she felt about her friends.

_Any other shinobi wouldn't shred a care for their comrade's safety so long as they escaped. However this kunoichi isn't trying to preserve her own life, but save theirs. At the slightest threat to them she becomes obedient. What have they ever done to receive her undying loyalty?_

Slowly the Uchiha bent down until he mouth was next to her ear. He felt her body tense, but she remained silent and unmoving.

"Tell me kunoichi, to what length are you willing to go for your comrades?" Itachi whispered in a dark velvety tone that sent shivers down the kunoichi's spine.

"Far enough." Sakura replied monotonously, her anger dissipating.

_This has gone too far. I don't know the rules to this game anymore, and I don't think I have any more cards to play. I have to see what he is implying, but if I ask, that means I'm committing to his twisted mind game, but if I don't, what are the consequences of that? _

"Explain yourself Uchiha." Sakura finally gave him, her voice sounding weak to her own ears and she felt her self fill with loathing at the man before her as the words slipped off her tongue.

Itachi smirked, her fate was now sealed...

OoO

"Hai." The men replied, and promptly they took off again, moving at an even harder pace then before.

_Shit…this isn't good. We need Hinata in order to communicate with Neji's group._ Shikamaru's gaze drifted over to the kunoichi. _She'll need some time to recuperate enough chakra for to her to use the Byakugan. Geez, this is so troublesome…_

"Hinata." Shikamaru called out while keeping his eyes glued to the horizon.

_We also lost our "eyes." Hinata has been telling us where the Akatsuki and the other team are in addition to keeping us informed on the location of the bombs. Now we are running blindly while being corralled by these stupid bombs._

Unconsciously Shikamaru's jaw tightened. Their situation had escalated exponentially, and now, Shikamaru wasn't sure his team could pull it off.

"Hai Shikamaru-san." Hinata's voice carried over the wind whipping around them.

Shikamaru turned to glance at the girl. She was currently being carried by Naruto and he didn't seem the least bit affected by her weight. Shikamaru also noticed their speed, Sasuke had been correct, they were now doubling their pace compared to their speed before the assault.

"How long do you think it will take for you to _naturally_ regain your chakra enough to use your byakugan?" He asked bluntly.

"HEY!" Naruto shouted indignantly. "She just got blown up! Leave her alone!"

"Shut-up dobe." Sasuke iterated annoyed. We need her ability in this situation. "Without her, we might as well turn around and head back to Konoha. He isn't insulting her, he is trying to think of a plan."

"I-its fine Naruto-kun." Hinata began hesitantly trying to placate the disgruntled blonde. "I'm not sure Shikamaru-san. If I activate it now, I-I don't think I could stay conscious for 10 minutes before my chakra ran out."

Shikamaru nodded his head.

_Sakura would kill me for doing this, but I don't see much of a choice. She told me to only use them as a last resort, and currently I'm running out of resorts._

FLASHBACK

"Where'd that last burst of energy come from, huh?" Kiba asked the pinkette curiously.

They had just finished a rather brutal fight with a band of rouge ninjas. The Konoha nin had already been tired from searching non-stop for the group, and once they found them, the squad was surprised to discover that the united missing nin were a lot more numerous then intelligence initially indicated.

They had left on a mission to find five rouges that were stirring up trouble. Their cell was specifically picked for their abilities. Kiba and Akamaru was currently the top trackers from Konoha, Shikamaru's intelligence qualified him as the most capable ninja for taking out the group with the least amount of work and shortest amount of time, and Sakura's medical abilities and adaptive nature made her ideal for ensuring the success of their mission and decrease the risk of leaf casualties. Figures it was their luck that the band was run by five rouges and they had close to twenty under their command.

The extra ninja hailed from various villages, and were nothing special. The three-man cell from Konoha could have easily taken them on. But the five rouges turned the fight into something much more spectacular…they had greatly underestimated the enemy.

Most of the leaf nin's attention was focused on the strongest of the group, the leaders. It was common knowledge that groups without leaders fell apart, but their mission wasn't to take out the five missing nin that happened to be leading the group, their mission scroll said to annihilate the band of rouges. And that was exactly what they did.

While Shikamaru focused on taking down the ringleaders with Kiba and Akamaru, Sakura was left to deal with the extra trash. This wasn't due to skill level, but due to simplicity. Sakura's natural attacks were more aimed at taking out larger numbers of enemies. True, her teammates could do it as well, but it was just as easy for her to take them out.

Despite the low levels of the enemy nin, they got a few hits on the medic due to sheer numbers. Shikamaru had drawn the strongest away from her, she was easily outnumbered, but the thought never crossed her mind. She had made some sacrificial injuries, but for each scratch, two or more ninjas fell from her attacks.

It was one of Sakura's first missions as an ANBU operative, and she fought beautifully. It was a deadly dance of life or death, and at the end of five minutes, she alone stood, splashed with the rich red blood of her adversaries.

Sakura took a deep breath to relax herself before concentrating on her chakra levels. She wasn't dangerously low, but she was well on her way. With a quick check, she knew none of her injuries were life threatening and with that in mind, she took off to her comrade's battle.

She was shocked at the sight that greeted her. Shikamaru was down on one knee in front of one of the leaders. Three others lay unmoving in the foliage as Kiba and Akamaru double-teamed the last one on the far side of the clearing.

Without thinking Sakura disappeared for a second before reappearing at Shikamaru's side on one knee. Her right hand held a kunai in it that flashed threatening in the sun as her left hand rested on Shikamaru's back.

At first, Shikamaru tensed at her sudden appearance, but the feel of her chakra circulating through his body and quelling his aches made him feel relieved.

"Stay here." Sakura commanded quietly. "I've blocked your nerve senses, so you feel fine, but all the damage is still there. If you move too much, you're more likely to make your condition worse. I'll take him out, then heal you."

Shikamaru looked over at the girl surprised. He felt her levels, she wasn't very high, and that surprised him.

"You can't take him out with the amount of chakra you have left." He said bluntly, fully intending to rise and help her.

"I know, and I don't intend to." At that, Sakura's lips pulled up into a smirk as she reached into her kunai pouch to pull out a small green pill.

Without hesitation she brought the pill to her lips and swallowed it whole. Shikamaru looked over at their adversary, surprised the man hadn't tried to attack them yet. Nearly immediately he felt the effects of Sakura's pill. Her chakra replenished itself at an alarming rate, building until it was her usual level, then it surpassed that, filling the kunoichi with more energy then she normally ever had.

"Stay." She repeated before standing up and walking towards the renegade ninja.

Shikamaru watched in awe as she took the man out within minutes, without any trace of exertion.

After her kunai slit his throat and the man fell to the ground unceremoniously in a pathetic heap, Sakura turned to face Shikamaru and slowly walked towards him will dropping the weapon back into its respective bag without bothering to wipe the blood off.

The kunoichi dropped slowly to her knees next to Shikamaru before bringing her hands up to his chest and healing his injuries. Throughout the process, Shikamaru remained silently observing the kunoichi. He had never seen a pill give so much power back to anyone, and now his mind was in overdrive.

"What are the side effects?" He asked.

"Side effects to what? By the way, damn Sakura! I didn't know you had that much chakra!" Kiba said as he walked over with a limping Akamaru.

"I don't have that much chakra Kiba-san." Sakura said as if she was giving a weather forecast. Her eyes averted to catch Shikamaru's. "But I'm going to pass out soon, the additional chakra will leave my body just as quick as it came and I'll have some major internal damage to heal. Not bad for a med nin, but for another shinobi, it would be critical."

"Is it based on a time limit?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

"Before I lose the chakra? No, it actually works on the hormones in your body. Specifically, this one is driven by adrenaline. So long as your body is producing adrenaline, as it does naturally in all fights and rigorous activity, then the side effects won't kick in."

Shikamaru nodded his understanding.

"You're not exercising anymore, why haven't you passed out yet then?" Kiba asked.

"Even though I'm not fighting, I still have traces of the hormone in my tissues, but in another five or so minutes, that won't be true, and I'll drop like a brick." Sakura said good-naturedly, laughing like it was some joke.

"Why is that good, huh?!" Kiba shouted.

"Because it worked." Sakura said confidently as she finished up on Shikamaru and beckoned Akamaru over to her.

_These could be very useful. It is true that I need to be careful with when I use them, but in this case, the benefits outweigh the risks._

"Any chance you'd be willing to let me have some Sakura?" Shikamaru asked lazily as he watched Sakura's hands finish up on the large dog.

"No. A med nin can use them and be okay. But if I were to give these to you, they'd wreak havoc in your system unless you had a medic close enough to heal before the effects set in." Sakura answered calmly.

"I'm not talking about taking any now. I mean as store for a last resort. If I'm as low as I was before, then I could have taken one. You were just finishing up the others and could have healed me in plenty of time. So, can I have some Sakura?" Shikamaru asked again.

"Kiba-san, are you hurt at all?" Sakura asked the shinobi, ignoring Shikamaru.

"Nah, I'm alright. Akamaru took the hit for me, that is how he hurt his leg." Kiba answered, his guilt evident for letting his comrade take his pain.

Shikamaru smirked lightly. _She won't give up the pills…oh well. It's just as well I suppose._

"Come on. Lets head back." Shikamaru intoned as he stood up, relieved that he felt so healthy.

Sakura nodded her head in the affirmative and stood up, but before she could take a single step, she faltered. Her leg unable to support her body and she tumbled forward into Kiba.

On reflex the larger ninja caught her before looking up at Shikamaru questioningly.

"The side effects took over." He said simply before letting out a sigh. "Hand her to me. I'll carry her. You make sure our path is clear. We can't afford to run into any more problems on the way back."

"Right. Akamaru!" The shinobi shouted behind him before taking off into the foliage.

Shikamaru looked down at the kunoichi before reaching deftly into her kunai pouch and pulling out a bag with green pills. He took two and dropped them into his own pouch before returning the bag.

"Sorry Sakura, but you knew what I was planning anyway. There are too many advantages that these pills can give." With that he adjusted his grip and took off into the trees, trailing behind his comrade.

END FLASHBACK

"Hinata." Shikamaru said softly. "I've got a favor to ask."

The other shinobi looked up at him questioningly.

"So troublesome…" he murmured to himself. "I have a pill that you can take that will replenish your chakra fully. However, it has some costly side effects. Without a medic, there is a strong chance that you won't make it once the effects kick in. In theory, we will reach Sakura in time and she can help. But there are a lot of things wrong with that theory. Do you accept?"

OoO

"In order for the beetle survive, it started to leave its normal home and began living near another creature…the enemy of its enemy...the snake. At first, the birds suffered greatly, and started dying off from lack of food, while the beetles they once preyed on grew in numbers, thriving off the snake's existence. But finally, two of the birds, in a desperate attempt at survival, worked together to get a meal. One bird served as a distraction and flew low to the ground to draw the snake out of its home, while the other bird went to the snake's unattended home and consumed as many of the beetles as it could."

Shino looked over to Neji, his eyes hidden under his dark shades.

"Which bird would you rather be?" Shino asked.

"The one that lives." Tenten murmured sarcastically under her breath.

Neji ignored her. Shino's plan was their only chance of succeeding in their mission. But there were several factors that could go wrong.

_What if both of them come after our group? We couldn't hold off two Akatsuki members, and Tenten is running low on chakra. She will be more of a hindrance that an asset. Furthermore, if both do come after us, the others would be more likely to come to our aid then go after Sakura. That would ruin the point of drawing the Akatsuki's attention. But what if-_

"There is no point in trying to come up with all possible scenarios Neji." Tenten said. She was looking forward, but the hard glint in her eye told Neji that she was being serious. "We could 'what if' for the next month, we need to act. Shino's right, that is our best option. We just need a way to tell the other group."

Neji hesitated a second before nodding his agreement. He'd been so focused on the bombs exploding behind them and the Akatsuki in front of him that he hadn't spared at glance at his cousin in a while.

"I can handle that. So long as Lady Hinata is looking at me we can communicate through sign language."

"You never answered." Shino intoned subtly. "Which bird would you rather be?"

Neji was silent for a second, weighing which group would be more suitable.

_Sasuke would be the most suitable to fight his brother. As much as I distrust the Uchiha, I have no choice but to accept that. Shikamaru would also be less suitable to fight these two shinobi then myself. He couldn't catch the blonde's flying bird anymore than he could hope to stop Sasori's numerous puppets. The sheer number would wear his chakra down within minutes. There is also Naruto to consider. With the Fox Demon inside him he would be seen as the main objective. With Akatsuki searching for the bijus, it wouldn't be wise sending Naruto in like that. Although, sending Uzumaki with the Fox into their main base sounds even less tempting. And Lady Hinata, she is also there. Kiba will protect her as much as Naruto, but sending her to the main base makes it less likely for her to actually meet up with any members. Sending her team as the distraction she will definitely have to fight. Besides, Shino and myself are more suited for taking on numerous enemies where Tenten is the top long-range fighter in the village. There really isn't an argument, the choice is obvious by all means._

"We are going to be drawing the bird from its home." Neji said resolutely.

Neither of his comrades looked at him, but the small affirmative nod informed him that his team agreed with his decision.

With that Neji shifted his byakugan to focus on the other team where he saw his little cousin in Naruto's arms, bringing a small pill to her lips before swallowing it.

_**Damn, I really really have slacked off haven't I?! But I know you still love me…right? In any case, I'm not promising regular updates, but I do have my own laptop now, so I'm catching up. I promise to finish this story, because leaving something undone just isn't my style. Review if you like and hold on for more!! Ja ne!**_

_**Kia**_

_**P.S. I know that the Flashback ended up longer than I wanted it, but it plays off the story and I couldn't really edit it without messing up the story, because the story will go back to it! XD**_


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"We are going to be drawing the bird from its home." Neji said resolutely.

Neither of his comrades looked at him, but the small affirmative nod informed him that his team agreed with his decision.

With that Neji shifted his byakugan to focus on the other team where he saw his little cousin in Naruto's arms, bringing a small pill to her lips before swallowing it.

Unconsciously, Neji's body tensed. He remained silent, intent on observing his cousin's predicament.

"What's wrong Neji?" Tenten asked immediately.

She had been with the Hyuuga for a long time, and his telltale signs were easily interpreted by her trained eyes.

_Damnit! Something is wrong! Neji isn't happy with what he is seeing! _ Tenten's mind frantically began imagining scenes of the other team meeting some horrendous death.

"Neji! What is wrong?!" Tenten insisted louder.

Shino turned to look at his leader.

_Is he so entranced that he no longer knows what is at stake? Hinata is the only one precious enough to him for this sort of reaction._

"Is Hinata alive?" Shino's dark voice murmured.

Tenten visibly recoiled, her pace slowed as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Hinata-chan?" She whispered softly, trying to fully comprehend Shino's question and all of its implications.

At the name of his cousin, Neji tore his attention from the other group and focused on his own situation.

_Damnit! She is hurt! I shouldn't have left Lady Hinata in the care of those morons. They are all too driven by ulterior motives to properly care for her!_

But even as the dark thoughts formed in his mind, he knew that they weren't true. His cousin was hurt, but she was also a shinobi. In their line of work it was impossible to be unscathed. He couldn't always be by her side to protect her, and her current teammates had never abandoned her in the past, even when he was ready to leave her.

"Damn." He cursed under his breath for his lack of focus. "She is still alive. Lady Hinata has been injured and is being carried by Naruto." Neji's byakugan shifted to inspect the group closely. "They all have minor wounds," he told his team. "It looks as if they got caught by one of the bombs."

"Can Hinata still use her byakugan?" Shino asked.

Neji watched his cousin closely and examined her chakra level.

"No, not at her level she couldn't withstand it fo-" He stopped speaking suddenly as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Damnit Neji! Explain what's wrong now or so Kami help me I'm going to beat it out of you!" Tenten shouted, frustrated at her inability to figure out was happening.

"Her chakra…" Neji began, his voice taking on a tone of slight awe. "Her chakra is suddenly multiplying at an alarming rate. She looks like she will be at full capacity-No, she is at her full chakra level." Neji told them, is confusion over the situation evident in his voice.

"How?" Tenten queried softly.

_How did she gain chakra so fast? How did she multiply her chakra at all? How is this-_

"No, she is exceeding her normal chakra level." Neji told them, his voice remained neutral, but the slight rise in pitch foretold his curiosity and concern for his cousin. "But, how is that possible?" He mumbled quietly under his breath.

Shino remained silent, absorbing the facts and trying to reason through them.

"She took a pill and it was capable of causing this effect?" Neji murmured to the silence.

The only sound was the soft tap of their feet as their legs carried them subconsciously through the trees at an alarming speed.

"Sakura-san was developing a pill last I heard that had this effect." Shino intoned quietly. "From what she told me, she was having issues balancing the pill to increase chakra levels without putting the shinobi in critical condition."

"Do you think she finally did it?" Tenten asked, facing the bug user.

"No." He answered immediately and that was all it took to send Neji's mind racing.

OoO

Hinata stared at the green pill for a second, entranced by the vibrant color and torn between duty and survival.

_Sakura-chan can save me, we just have to reach her and I'll be fine. Besides, Shikamaru-san wouldn't have offered the pill if he doubted that we would get to Sakura-chan in time. _

Hinata slowly brought the pill to her lips before letting it slip past into her mouth. It sat on her tongue for a second before she swallowed hard, taking the small pill dry.

Shikamaru nodded his head as he watched the kunoichi take the pill. His gut clenched in uncertainty. Even now, after the fact, he still doubted his decision. There was a chance she would be fine, but if they didn't reach Sakura, or if Sakura was unconscious or drained of her chakra, Hinata's death would have been indirectly his fault. He hadn't forced her to take the pill, but as his subordinate, she trusted his decision and tutelage as her commanding leader. And that fact tore at him to his very core.

_Sakura you better be ready to heal, Hinata is sacrificing her life to save you and I'm not sure she can live without your abilities._

Less than a minute later, the group felt Hinata's chakra begin to multiply and grow at an exponential rate. Having seen Sakura's transformation, Shikamaru was unphased by the occurrence, but his teammate's attention was raptly directed to the small bundle in Naruto's arms.

"H-Hinata-chan." Naruto stated softly in awe.

The Hyuuga's eyes grew in surprise at her own developing power and was relieved to see her chakra returning to its normal level. Naruto slowed down slightly, hesitating a step as Hinata jumped lightly from his arms.

Her feet seemed to hang in the air for a second, before touching on the bark. The sudden change of motion caused the kunoichi to falter for a second, but she regained her balance almost immediately and began running next to the men.

Performing a few seals, Hinata's byakugan activated and she watched the development of her chakra surpass its normal level. Her pupilless eyes widened a fraction before turning to Shikamaru.

"H-How…?" she murmured softly to him.

"Sakura would be a better person to ask. She made them, but I borrowed a few…just in case." He replied easily.

"Borrowed?" Naruto echoed in confusion.

"Shikmaru took them dobe." Sasuke's voice intoned dispassionately.

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled defensively, Sasuke's insult overlooked. "Why did you steal from Sakura-chan?!"

"She knew I took them, but she never mentioned it…" Shikamaru explained. "It was just as well…" He added softly under his breath.

"I agree with Naruto this time." Kiba said, gritting his teeth in annoyance. "Sakura would have given you them if you asked."

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "I did."

This time, Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"If she didn't give it to you, then she didn't think they were ready for field work. Just what risks have you put on Hinata?" Kiba asked, his anger slowly rising.

Shikamaru remained silent…and that was all the answer any of them needed.

The only sound was Hinata's soft gasp as she realized her precarious situation.

"There is no point arguing it any more. What's done is done, now deal with it." Sasuke said annoyed, ready to get back to the mission.

"Shut up Teme! This is going t-" Naruto began ranting before being cut off.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata whispered loudly, catching the blond off guard. "Its –uh…Its alright. Shikamaru-san said that Sakura-san can fix it. So, we just have to get to Sakura-san, ne?" She asked quietly.

Naruto's stare fell on her before he finally relented. He let out a soft sigh.

"Yeah. Sakura-chan can fix everything." He agreed.

"Good, now lets go. This argument has gone on far enough." Shikamaru agreed. "Hinata, use your byakugan and look for Neji's team."

"Hai." She responded immediately and began searching for her cousin.

The Hyuuga located him within several seconds and confirmed the other team's location to Shikamaru.

"Good. Is Neji looking over here with his byakugan?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, he's focused on the Akatsuki." She replied.

"Fine. Naruto, I want you to concentrate your chakra and release it at once. You need to get Neji's attention, so you'll have to put quite a bit of energy into it."

"Hai." Naruto replied immediately.

"Don't use too much, I don't want to have to carry you Naruto." Kiba teased.

Naruto gave an indignant huff before he brought his hands together and accumulated chakra. Keeping his eyes on Shikamaru, the blond continued to gather more of his power until the Nara gave a small nod, telling Naruto that he had enough chakra.

The blond stemmed the flow and immediately pulsed his chakra outward.

"Did he look?" Naruto asked quickly.

"H-Hai. He's looking over at us. What do you want me to tell-no. .. He is sending us a message." Hinata said, surprise evident in her tone.

"What is he saying Hinata?" Kiba asked.

"He…he wants us to continue going straight. They are going to draw the Akatsuki away and create a distraction so we can get Sakura…h-he-"

"He is sacrificing his team's safety to ensure Sakura's. Damnit." Shikamaru finished for her.

"They can't do that!" Naruto responded immediately.

Shikamaru ignored him and looked directly at the pale-eyed Hyuuga. After staring at her for a second he returned his vision to the trees they were running through. His choice was obvious, but it was as good as having Neji's team sign their death warrants.

"Why can't things go back to being simple?" He mused quietly.

Through the silence, Shikamaru listened to the light tap of their feet against the trees they were running through. He could hear the soft rustle of the leaves as the branches bent under their weight. And the echo of the last bombs that had just recently gone off behind them sounded like a bell of death, tolling that their time in this world was limited.

There was no point in delaying the inevitable, he knew his decision as soon as he was informed of the plan. In the back of his mind, some part of him knew that it would eventually come to this, but that didn't make this choice any less painful.

"Tell him that we will proceed with his plan and will back them up as soon as we retrieve Sakura." Shikamaru drawled, his measured tone hiding his unease.

"What? We'd be stronger together!" Naruto shouted in outrage.

"If we can't get rid of these guys, then there is no point. One of us would have had to become a decoy eventually, I was trying to think of an alternative." Shikamaru stated.

"That still leaves the problem that we don't know where Sakura is." Sasuke pointed out.

"That was never a problem, Uchiha." Kiba grinned toothily.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Then why have we been tailing these two?" Sasuke asked curtly, his distaste for being left out of the loop evident in his tone.

"Sorry Teme, but we weren't sure that you wouldn't take the information and race ahead to get to your brother." Naruto told his friend quietly, the pity was easy to distinguish in his voice.

"Che, there still is no guarantee. You'll know where we are when we get there Uchiha." Kiba added.

"I-I'm sure Sasuke-san wouldn't abandon Sakura-san." Hinata defended Sasuke weakly. "I-I mean, Sakura-san believed in him, ne?"

"That's just it Hinata." Shikamaru pointed out. "She didn't."

And with the silence that followed, the group increased their pace and began running west, trusting their comrades to hold off the opposition while praying that the other team would live to tell the tale.

OoO

"Tell me kunoichi, to what length are you willing to go for your comrades?" Itachi whispered in a dark velvety tone that sent shivers down the kunoichi's spine.

"Far enough." Sakura replied monotonously, her anger dissipating.

_This has gone too far. I don't know the rules to this game anymore, and I don't think I have any more cards to play. I have to see what he is implying, but if I ask, that means I'm committing to his twisted mind game, but if I don't, what are the consequences of that? _

"Explain yourself Uchiha." Sakura finally gave in, her voice sounding weak to her own ears and she felt herself fill with loathing at the man before her as the words slipped off her tongue.

Itachi smirked, her fate was now sealed.

"We will be retrieving Naruto-kun," Itachi watched a small tremor run through Sakura's body as she fisted her hands in her shorts. "That is not debatable. But Naruto-kun has some extra baggage with him."

Sakura's mind was running as quick as she dared. She knew exactly what the Uchiha was implying.

_The others with Naruto…damnit, why did they all have to come?_

"We could leave his companions, but maybe if we brought you their heads, you would be easier to deal with." A smirk tugged the side of his mouth up.

"You sound like you're overconfident Uchiha. Leaf shinobi won't be wiped out so easily." Sakura stated with certainty as she met the Uchiha's dangerous eyes with an unwavering glare that reinforced her faith in her comrades.

"You sound like you're overestimating kunoichi. These shinobi don't stand a chance and you are well aware of this."

Sakura was about to defend her comrade's strength and teamwork, but was cut off before she even open her mouth.

"Are they not your subordinates? Couldn't you win in a spar against all of them? And yet, you believe your underlings stand a chance against those that imprisoned you. That's cruel kunoichi, sending them off to the butcher. "

Sakura stared in silence, fully understanding the Uchiha's insinuation, but refusing to acknowledge his comments to him.

_Let them underestimate the shinobi of the Leaf. I haven't beaten all of them, and neither of us have ever truly gone full out in a spar with each other. And Naruto won't be overcome by anyone, including Death itself._

"I wonder how they would react if they knew you had the chance to save them and refused out of some misplaced confidence."

The sentence was murmured so quietly that it was barely audible. But as shinobi, they are trained to listen for such slight sounds, thus Sakura's attention was drawn to it like a moth to light.

"Don't worry Uchiha-_san_, my confidence is anything but misplaced. But what would their lives be worth to your organization?" Her politeness a clear mockery to the raven-haired man.

"Your complete cooperation Haruno-san." He replied easily, ignoring her taunt.

"Cooperation with what?"

But Itachi remained silent. A minute dragged by…then two…then Sakura's patience wore out.

"I know your eyesight has been failing you Uchiha, but is your hearing fading as well?"

"Your concern is noted, but your time to choose is running short kunoichi." He answered.

"Che, _choose_ my ass." She murmured to herself.

_There is no choice. I'm going to be forced to cooperate no matter what, this is just some false sense of control for me. Despite my answer, I won't be able to ensure he upholds his end of the bargain, nor will I get any closer to helping them. There is no winning, I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't…I'm caught in catch 22…"_

_**Well, this one took long enough. But I swear, no matter what I did, I hated this chapter. I'm honestly still unhappy with it. How depressing…in any case, if any of ya'll are hardcore scary movie watchers, do NOT go see "The Unborn." It seriously sucked, I laughed 70% of the times I was supposed to scream…which is really depressing, because I had really high hopes for that one. Oh well, I'll update the next chance I get, hopefully that will be in the next couple of weeks. Well, until then, ja ne!!**_

_**Kai**_


End file.
